


Of Storms and Stars

by BlueGhostKings



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Daisy chains, Disney marathons, Fluff and Angst, Interfering Friends, M/M, Sharing beds, Stargazing, Tickle Fights, absurd amount of blushing, bad haikus, painting each other's nails
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 04:38:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 47,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11844111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueGhostKings/pseuds/BlueGhostKings
Summary: Hiccup is struggling under the weight of his chiefly responsibilities when a bright-eyed boy from the future and his giant robot crash into his world and are forced to stay there for a while. Both boys try not to get attached to each other but are not very successful...





	1. Thunder/Fire/Holes in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Hiro is 17. Hiccup is 19. Technically the events of the second How to Train Your Dragon film happened when Hiccup was 20 but for the purposes of this I’m saying that they happened when he was 18.

Hiro held the silver orb in shaking hands. Three years of work had been leading up to this. “Ready , Baymax?” His voice shook. “Let’s do this.”

He tossed the sphere into the air and thought of Tadashi.

***

Hiccup closed his eyes and let the air rush through his hair, his ears, the triangles of space between his elbows and ribs. Let the breeze blow his thoughts into nothing. He could feel his pulse synchronising itself with the beat of Toothless’ wings, lifting him higher, ever higher. It sparked something in Hiccup’s veins – flying – some feeling that didn’t quite have a name. It was a love rooted so deep it felt older than Hiccup himself. It was euphoria and peace somehow rolled into one.

He flew until his hands stopped shaking and his breathing evened and his mind stopped working in overdrive, and finally he smiled. He was at home in the sky. Minutes had passed – or perhaps hours, it was hard to tell – but Hiccup was startled out of his detachment by a crack of thunder, loud enough to rattle the heavens. Hiccup sighed, looped his arms around Toothless’ neck and whispered, “Down we go, bud.” The dragon’s ears drooped slightly in disappointment, but he obeyed; they’d both learned the hard way that flying in a storm was unwise.

Thunder rolled again and Hiccup lifted his gaze, perplexed as to why he hadn’t noticed any lightening when the thunder was so close. But the clouds above him – white, fluffy and amiable - were not so much as threatening to rain. Not a storm then? Hiccup signalled for Toothless to circle in the air so he could investigate.

The thunder (not-thunder?) sounded again and Hiccup scanned the sky until he located it’s true source: a dark circle suspended in the air like the sun’s evil twin. As the decidedly-not-thunder grew louder, a halo of crackling violet appeared to be stretching the circle out, until something shiny and red emerged from its centre.

With a final stuttering roar, the hole in the canvas of the sky re-sealed itself. The only evidence that it had ever been there was the red figure, which currently was hurtling straight towards Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup peered upwards, trying to figure out what this apparition was. It was bulky and armoured and winged, and perched on its back was another smaller figure – a person? – also clad in armour.

Toothless, who’d been momentarily frozen, screeched and bucked back into action, more panicked than Hiccup had ever seen. “Woah, Toothless, go easy!” Hiccup pleaded, clinging desperately to the dragon’s scales to avoid being thrown off. But Toothless wasn’t paying attention. His frenzied flapping brought him up on a level with the red creature _. “Toothless!”_ A jet of flames shot from Toothless’ jaws, and Hiccup’s shouts were drowned beneath the sound of the red figure going up in flames.

Helplessly fumbling for control of the reins, Hiccup could only squint through the smoke and watch the blur of red and orange plummet to the ground.


	2. Time-Travel vs Witchcraft

Hiro was dreaming of the fire again. He still dreamed about it all the time. Still woke up screaming in a tangle of cold-sweat sheets. Sometimes he just stood there, watching the Institute go up in flames, willing himself to move but rooted to the spot. Sometimes he ran inside, chasing Tadashi’s shouts for help but never finding him in time. Sometimes Hiro was the one trapped in the burning building, choking on the smoke and screaming for Tadashi. Always screaming for Tadashi.

Except, wait. It wasn’t just a dream this time. There had really been a fire…he’d been with Baymax…Baymax, falling…

Hiro’s eyes flew open and he was pushing himself up before he knew where he was going, his heart beating a riot in his chest. He was seeing only in blurs. He couldn’t breathe.  
“Woah, hey,” someone was gripping Hiro’s shoulders, speaking to him softly. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay. Just breathe, okay? Breathe.”

 _I’m trying,_ Hiro thought, lacking the oxygen to verbalise it. His head was reeling and he regretted sitting up so fast. The stranger was still talking to him in hushed tones, and though Hiro didn’t have the concentration to make out exactly what he was saying, his voice had a sort of comforting calm to it. He caught that calm and used it force his lungs to function. _It’s okay. You’re okay._

When he opened his eyes again they were met with a pair of curious green ones. His vision drew slowly into focus, piecing together the face of a teenage boy. Okay, _wow,_ this guy was kind of pretty. His stomach did that weird swooping thing. The boy smiled. “Um, hi.”

Hiro realised he’d been staring and hastily shifted his gaze to their surroundings. While he tried to pull his memories back together, his eyes skimmed over the off-white walls – inset with wooden beams, adorned with battered shields – the low, sloping ceiling, the row of plainly-dressed beds, one of which Hiro occupied…and came to rest once again on the green-eyed boy. “You’re a Viking,” Hiro said finally, not really a question.

The boy inclined his head. “And you’re not,” he replied, also not a question.

Hiro nodded but didn’t elaborate. He passed a hand over his face, through his hair, and propped himself up on one elbow, muttering, “What happened?”

The boy’s brow furrowed. “Well you just – just appeared - out of nowhere,” he was speaking rapidly, stumbling over his words. “And Toothless – my dragon – he freaked out and shot fire at you and…you must’ve fallen fifty feet. I thought…” He trailed off. Cleared his throat. “Anyway, our doctor checked you over, said nothing’s seriously injured, you’re just gonna ache for a few days.”

Hiro, however, had stopped listening. “Hold up,” he said, “A dragon?”

“Yes,” said the Viking.

“You’re saying a _dragon_ shot me out of the sky?”

“Yes,” said the Viking.

“You’re fucking with me.”

The boy’s eyes widened. “Um, excuse me?”

Hiro almost laughed. “Dragons don’t exist,” he clarified.

“Oh, right,” the boy muttered, blushing a little. “But they do, though.”

“Uh, no they don’t.”

“Uh, I can assure you that they _do,_ ” said the Viking, becoming exasperated.

Hiro was about to protest again but then he realised he was sitting here having a ridiculous argument about the existence of a mythical creature while Baymax could be god-knows-where. “Fine,” he shrugged, “Dragons, sure, why not. Where’s Baymax?”

“Baymax?” The Viking frowned. “What is Baymax?”

“He was with me when we crashed, he’s a, uh, sort of machine – it’s easier if I just show you.”

The boy nodded slowly. “Right, he’s in my workshop. I think-”

“Great, let’s go,” Hiro cut him off, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

“Wait, where are you going?” the boy asked, alarmed. He reached out, his hand hovering above Hiro’s shoulder ready to push him back into bed if necessary.

“To see Baymax,” said Hiro. He knocked the boy’s hand aside and stood. His vision filled with static and he blinked it away.

“But - you’re not supposed to get out of bed,” the Viking told him apologetically.

“I’m _fine._ ”

“You’re swaying.”

“It’s… _intentional_ swaying,” Hiro said, and took a step towards the door. The world tilted beneath his feet and he stumbled sideways. The Viking caught him effortlessly and pulled him back into balance.

“And intentional falling as well, I assume?” he said coolly.

Hiro’s face burned with mingling embarrassment and frustration. He lifted his chin, mustering as much dignity as he could as he said, “I’m fine now, thank you. You can let go of me.”

The Viking’s hold on him remained firm. “If I let go, will you go back to bed?”

“I need to see Baymax.”

“You need bed rest. Just for a day or two, to make sure you’re okay.”

He glared up at the Viking, who glared right back. He was taller than Hiro, which felt like an unfair advantage. “I need to see Baymax,” Hiro said again, sounding petulant even to his own ears.

“For Thor’s sake, you can hardly walk!”

“And whose fault is that?” Hiro retorted savagely. “If your _dragon_ hadn’t set us on fire, I wouldn’t be in this mess! The least you can do is take me to Baymax so I can fix the damage!” He knew the words were unfair as soon as they left his mouth, but he could barely think around the thick panic that was clouding his mind, barely think of anything except, _Baymax Baymax is he okay he has to be okay._

The Viking’s expression shifted, Hiro’s accusation clearly stinging. He took a step back, dropping his hands from Hiro’s shoulders. Hiro felt a stab of guilt. His arms were cold where the boy’s hands had been a second ago. He took a breath. “Look,” Hiro said, “ _Baymax_ makes sure I’m okay. It’s what he was made for. He’s a Care Companion. he can give me a check-up and medical advice much more accurately than anyone from your time. I just need to see him.”

The boy shrugged and gestured towards the door. Hiro frowned. He’d got what he wanted but it didn’t really feel like he’d won. It felt like - a challenge.

He set his jaw, and began making his way towards the infirmary’s exit, his shoulder knocking accidentally against the other boy’s chest as he stepped passed him. The floor swayed dangerously beneath him, but the need to see Baymax – and more than a little stubbornness – kept him moving forwards. He realised as he neared the door that his plan was dependent on the Viking coming with him to show him the way to his workshop, and he’d just resigned himself to turning around for another round of pleading, when the boy appeared at his side, hurrying ahead to get the door for him, and demanding, “What do you mean, ‘my time’?”

“Oh, right,” Hiro grinned. “I’m not from here - I’m from the twenty-second century.”

The Viking stopped walking and tilted his head. “I’m starting to think you’ve suffered a head-injury the doctor didn’t pick up on.”

“No, seriously,” said Hiro.

“Oh, well now I’m convinced,” said the Viking dryly.

“Hey, you said yourself, I came out of nowhere,” Hiro reminded him, “That was a time portal.” And then, when the boy continued looking dubious, “How else would you explain it?”

“Witchcraft?” the Viking suggested.

Hiro scoffed. “Witches don’t exist either.”

“Uh, yes they do. I once got trapped in a cave by one.”

“Uh-huh”

“No, seriously.”

“Well now I’m convinced.”

“What – dragons you’ll accept, but witches are too weird for you?”

“Alright,” Hiro bargained. “I’ll believe in your dragons and witches if you’ll believe in my time travel.”

The Viking didn’t say anything, but he started walking again, and Hiro followed him out of the door. He drank in their surroundings as they walked through the Isle of Berk. Everything was so _green_. Pointed rocks jutted out of the uneven ground in-between clusters of wooden huts; both of which were blanketed with moss. Hiro’s head still spun and he stumbled easily on the uneven ground. The Viking let this happen twice before he sighed and grabbed Hiro round the waist to keep him up-right, ignoring Hiro’s insistence that he could walk just fine.

They passed a rowdy group of Viking villagers by the coast line (well, not so much a coastline as the point where the land ended and became a twenty-foot drop down to the sea) encouraging an assortment of small dragons to swoop down and pluck fish from the waves and drop them into dragon-pulled carts to feed the village. The Viking jerked his head towards them pointedly as if to say ‘see – dragons.’

“Holy crap,” Hiro murmured, eyebrows shooting upwards. Fred was going to lose his mind when he heard about this.

Villagers nodded to the boy at Hiro’s side as they passed by, a few of them muttering, “Chief,” as they did so.

“Chief?” Hiro enquired after the third time this happened.

The boy stood a little straighter as he said, “Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Chief of the Hooligan Tribe, at your service.”

“Catchy,” said Hiro. He gave him a side-long look. Hiccup had a mess of auburn hair that shone coppery in the sun and a scattering of freckles across his nose. He didn’t look like he could be more than a couple of years older than Hiro – perhaps eighteen or nineteen. “Aren’t you a little young to be a Chief?” Hiro asked.

A little crease formed between Hiccup’s brows. “Yes, I am,” He agreed grimly. “And you are?”

“Oh, I’m Hiro. Hamada.”

Hiccup’s mouth quirked upwards. “Hiro. Name like that, you’d make a good Viking.” Hiro felt an irrational surge of pride, even though he’d obviously had no input into the choosing of his own name; it had been Tadashi’s suggestion.

They were approaching one of the larger huts on the island. Hiccup released Hiro’s waist and led him up the stone steps to the front door. He pushed it open and motioned for Hiro to enter first. “This is Gobber’s place,” he told Hiro as he walked in behind him. “He gave me a workshop here to ‘keep me out of trouble.’”

“Did it work?”

“Not even a little.” A duck-sized dragon swooped from a perch in the far corner of the room into Hiccup’s arms, and he carried it round the room so it could spit out small bursts of flames to light a number of oil-lamps, illuminating a scene of organised chaos: several wooden workbenches, cluttered with tools; scraps of metal and wood heaped round the edges of the room; hastily scrawled  
diagrams pinned lopsidedly to the walls. It was obscenely and wonderfully messy. For the first time since arriving on the island, Hiro felt a flicker of familiarity.

On the central bench lay Hiro’s and Baymax’s flight suits, dented and scorched. Hiro stepped up behind the larger one and rested his hands on the helmet. “Baymax is still in here?”

Hiccup nodded. “He’s not exactly been responsive.”

With a press of a button on one of the shoulders, the helmet retracted to reveal a white, oval head, and the segments of armour unlocked from each other. Hiro removed them piece by piece, turning them over to assess the damage before placing them to one side. The ‘low battery’ sign glowed on Baymax’ chest. “He’s fine, just a flat battery,” Hiro sighed with relief, and slid down the side of the workbench to sit on the floor.

After a moment’s pause, he heard footsteps following him round the bench and Hiccup lowered himself to sit down next to him. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, but I think the room is a little dizzy, so I’m just gonna give it a minute to stop spinning.”

“That’s very considerate of you.”

“I try,” said Hiro. He put his head between his knees and willed the swaying sensation in his head to subside. “So how long was I out anyway?”

“About twelve hours.”

“Damn.” Hiro frowned, “I was only meant to be here for three.”

“And what exactly are you meant to be here for?” asked Hiccup.

“Test run. To see if the time portal works.”

“Okay, but…if it’s a time portal, surely you can just go back to three hours from when you left regardless of how much time you spend here?”

Hiro shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that – it’s more like…I’ve created a link between here and there; I can travel freely between them, but however much time passes on one side also passes on the other side.”

“Seems like something you should work on,” Hiccup said helpfully. Hiro lifted his head to glare at Hiccup. “Just saying,” Hiccup shrugged. “So, you’re going straight back?” he asked, sounding a little crestfallen. “Like, right now?”

“I can’t,” said Hiro. Hiccup frowned questioningly. “For one thing the portal is probably still wherever Baymax and I crashed.”

“The woods,” Hiccup supplied, “I can take you to look for it once you’re able to walk in a straight line again.”

“I’m fine now,” Hiro argued.

“Then why are we sitting down here?” countered Hiccup.

“Okay, I should probably charge Baymax,” Hiro remembered, making to get up.

Hiccup got to his feet and held out a hand to help Hiro up. Hiro ignored it and pushed himself into a standing position. “Stubborn one, aren’t you,” Hiccup observed.

“I prefer the term strong-willed, if you don’t mind,” said Hiro as he located Baymax’ back-up power supply and connected it to the robot.

Hiccup snorted and opened his mouth – no doubt to say something derisive – but was interrupted by Baymax sitting up, knocking several tools to the floor.

“Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion,” announced Baymax.

Hiro shot Hiccup a look as if to say, ‘told you.’

“On a scale of one to ten,” Baymax asked Hiro, “how would you rate your pain?”

“I’m fine, Baymax, I’m more worried about you,” insisted Hiro.

Baymax tilted his head. “I am fine, Hiro. I am not the one swaying.”

Hiccup shot Hiro a look as if to say, ‘told you.’

Hiro rolled his eyes. He wished he hadn’t - it made him dizzy. He allowed Baymax to perform a scan for injuries, after which Baymax came to the conclusion that: “Nothing is seriously injured, but you will ache for approximately two days. Bed rest is recommended.”

Hiccup fixed Hiro with a smug expression. “Well,” he drawled, “aren’t you so glad Baymax was here to tell you that? Our doctors could _never_ have figured that out for themselves. It’s _amazing_ to see how the medical world has advanced in over a thousand years.”

Hiro refrained from rolling his eyes again and took comfort in the fact that at least the Vikings had grasped the concept of sarcasm. “Whatever. You were about to show me to the woods?”

“Actually I think I was about to tell you to march your stubborn arse back into bed, is what I was going to do.”

Hiro sighed. His dizziness had increased to the point that he was gripping the edges of the workbench just to remain standing. Now that he knew Baymax was alright, he was struggling to find the  
motivation to keep his heavy eyelids open. He threw his hands up in mock exasperation. “Jesus. So eager to get me into bed,” he commented.

Hiccup, regarding him with a cool gaze and crossed arms, didn’t appear to see the funny side.

“ _Okay_ , I’m going, I’m going!” Hiro relented, letting Hiccup lead him out of the room.

Once Hiro was finally tucked back into bed, Baymax asked him, “Is there anything else you require?” effectively stealing Hiccup’s next line. Hiccup tried not to feel too put out about being outdone by a machine.

“Thanks Baymax, but I just need to sleep – I don’t think there’s a lot you can do right now,” said Hiro.

“I could sing you a lullaby?” offered Baymax.

“I could knock you unconscious?” Hiccup offered under his breath.

Hiro either didn’t hear Hiccup or chose to ignore him, because all he said was, “No thanks, Baymax. I’m satisfied with my care.” He set down Baymax’s charging station beside the bed.  
Baymax shuffled over and stepped into the box.

“Hey,” Hiro reached over to him. “Fist bump.”

Baymax bumped his fist against Hiro’s and drew it back, exclaiming, “Ba-la-la-la-la!” Hiro grinned sleepily while Baymax deflated, folding himself up into his box until only his face was visible.

Hiccup looked bemused by the entire exchange. “Well,” he said finally, “I’ve got to go and be Chief-like, but Gobber and I will come check on you when we can, okay?”

Hiro nodded, burrowed into the sheets, and surrendered himself to sleep. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t dream.


	3. The Not-so-toothless Dragon

“So you really believe this guy is from the future?”

It was the following morning and Hiccup was on his way to the infirmary to see Hiro. He’d checked on him three times yesterday, but as far as he could tell, the boy had slept solidly through the rest of the day. Astrid was heading in the same direction to give the younger Vikings a sword-fighting lesson in the arena, and Hiccup had just recounted to her everything Hiro had said to him yesterday. He must have mentally relived their conversation twenty times since putting Hiro to bed, and a little thrill had shot through his chest every time. This boy was from the future? It was crazy. It was impossible. He had to keep stopping to remind himself that this was _actually happening_.

To answer Astrid’s question, Hiccup said, “I know it sounds insane, but it’s also kind of the only thing that makes sense. Baymax, their armour…I don’t know what else could explain it.” Astrid seemed to be seriously considering the idea, and Hiccup was grateful that he wasn’t the only one who was inclined to trust Hiro’s explanation. The boy hadn’t seemed like a liar, even if he was irritatingly stubborn.

“Well, I’d love to meet future-boy,” Astrid said, “but I’m just gonna have to take your word for it for now. I have a group of kids waiting for me who can barely be trusted to hold a sword at the right end,” she shook her head despairingly.

Hiccup smiled. Once he’d figured out that he was left-handed, Hiccup had proven himself to be a talented swordsman, and Astrid was Berk’s only Viking their age who could give him a run for his money. He stopped outside the infirmary and squeezed her hand. “Go show them how it’s done.”

Astrid kissed him on the cheek and grinned, a twinkle of conspiracy in her eyes. “Oh, I will,” she promised and started skipping towards the arena.

“Go easy on them, though!” Hiccup called after her.

She turned to face him, skipping backwards, and now Hiccup could see the mischief written clearly across her face. “But where would be the fun in that?” She called back, before twirling around and jogging away. She turned a couple of cartwheels, just because she could, and maybe because she knew Hiccup would watch her until she disappeared from sight.

On his way into the infirmary, Hiccup nearly knocked the door into Hiro, who was on his way out. His hair was damp from a recent wash and he was wearing the fresh clothes that Hiccup had laid on the foot of his bed the previous night.

“Oh, hey! Sorry,” Hiccup almost tripped over himself in his haste to back up and give Hiro space to leave the room, Baymax trailing close behind him.

“Hey. We were just coming to find you.” Hiro made a fist and extended it towards Hiccup. Hiccup blinked at it uncomprehendingly a few times before remembering the exchange between Hiro and Baymax the previous day. Hesitantly, he knocked his own knuckles against Hiro’s. “Ba-la-la-la…?” he said, watching Hiro’s face for confirmation that he was doing it right; Hiro appeared to be stifling a laugh.

“Gobber was just here,” He told Hiccup “But he had somewhere he had to be – said something about making sure some Astrid girl doesn’t kill any children. Is she a friend of yours?”

“Uh…yeah,” Hiccup replied. “She’s excited to meet you actually.”

Hiro grimaced and cast his eyes down. “I’m not that exciting,” he muttered.

“I think you are,” Hiccup countered immediately. Hiro looked back up at him. “I mean,” Hiccup added, “time travel – that’s pretty exciting.”

“Yeah,” Hiro grinned, “It is.” The boy looked like the sleep had done him some good. His eyes were wide and bright, like polished copper coins, and his legs no longer looked like they could give out at any moment.

“So,” said Hiccup, “I was just going to the woods to feed Toothless, want to come with? We can look for your time portal. I mean, I get it if you don’t want anything to do with Toothless after…you know…”

“Being blasted out of the sky and falling to my almost-death?” Hiro said helpfully.

Hiccup winced. “Yeah, that.”

“Hey, um…” Hiro dropped his gaze, apparently struggling for words. “I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. I was just – I shouldn’t have said that.”

Hiccup looked down too. “That’s okay, I mean, you weren’t exactly wrong-”

“No,” Hiro cut in, “Some guy and a robot suddenly materialising in the sky? I’d say he was understandably freaked out. Not your fault – my fault if anything…” he was babbling, face flushed as if apologising took a lot out of him. It was sort of sweet really.

“Hiro,” Hiccup interrupted, smiling, “It’s okay.”

Hiro smiled back, his relief visible on his face. “Okay.” He began to lead the way out of the infirmary towards the distant treeline.

“I – Wait - you actually want to come?” Hiccup asked.

“Sure I do.” Said Hiro, walking backwards to face Hiccup. “Keep up, Viking.”

***

Hiro watched Hiccup’s feet as they traipsed through the woods, careful to follow the way he stepped through the treacherous undergrowth. Hiccup wore bulky fur boots and Hiro noticed that he was limping on his left leg. He was just considering whether it would be impolite to ask Hiccup about it when the other boy spoke: “What was the other thing?”

“What?”

“You said ‘for one thing’ you didn’t have your time-portal on you. What’s the other thing stopping you from leaving?”

“Oh. Well, the portal is designed so that it will only open in the sky, to make sure we don’t end up, like, stuck inside a wall or something,” Hiro explained.

“Okay…” said Hiccup.

“Well I can’t get high enough in the sky right now. The flying mechanism in Baymax’s suit got damaged when it caught fire.” Hiccup looked guilt-stricken, so Hiro continued before he could apologise again. “Don’t worry, Baymax is programmed so he knows how to fix it, it’s just gonna take us a couple of days.”

“So you’ll be staying here a while?”

“Looks like.”

“Okay,” said Hiccup, his expression brightening, as they reached the edge of a clearing. “Your time-portal’s over there, by the way.” He pointed towards a small silver sphere, tucked among the roots of a tree a few metres away.

“You spotted that quickly,” Hiro noted as he marched over to scoop the portal up, but Hiccup was spared the trouble of answering because Hiro had just caught sight of something from the corner of his eye that drove their conversation out of his mind. A huge, sleek, black creature lay curled in the middle of the clearing, his wings folded over his sides like a pair of scaly blankets. Toothless.

“Wait here a second,” Hiccup told Hiro, “He likes me to be the first person he wakes up to.” Hiccup jogged over to the dragon and dropped into a crouch. Hiro watched as Hiccup tickled Toothless’ neck and cooed into his droopy ears, pulling him gently out of his slumber. The dragon scrunched up his snout and let out a sleepy sigh, singeing the ground with the few stray sparks that shot from his snout. His eyes opened with reluctance as he stretched out like the biggest of big cats and yawned.

“He’s really toothless, huh?” Hiro commented.

“Sometimes,” replied Hiccup absently, rummaging through the bag he’d brought with him. His hand emerged holding a large fish for toothless, but the dragon’s eyes had trained themselves on Hiro and Baymax, who were apparently more intriguing than breakfast.

Toothless padded cautiously towards them, sizing them up. Hiro looked to Hiccup for instruction, trying not to let on how tense he was. Hiccup tossed the fish across the clearing and Hiro surprised himself by catching it. “Don’t make any sudden moves and don’t look him in the eye,” Hiccup advised. “Let him come to you.”

Hiro fixed his eyes on Toothless’ snout as the dragon prowled towards him, his tail sweeping wide arcs through the ground behind him. Hiro tried not to think about how one bat of that tail could probably knock him out. He tried not to think about how his last encounter with Toothless had _actually_ knocked him out.

The dragon was close now. Close enough to touch. Close enough to engulf Hiro in one swift pounce. Hiro reached out his (possibly slightly shaking?) hand, holding the fish out as an offering. Toothless snuffled at his hand for a couple of seconds before slurping up the fish and swallowing it whole. _Oh, sure,_ thought a (possibly slightly hysterical?) Hiro, _who needs teeth anyway?_

Toothless tilted his head upwards so he was nose-to-nose with Hiro. Did breathing count as a sudden move? Hiro decided not to risk it. The dragon snuffled at his face for a couple of seconds. He hoped Toothless wasn’t going to swallow _him_ whole too. Then, the dragon nuzzled into Hiro’s cheek; he was surprisingly soft. Hiro gave the beast’s neck a tentative stroke and Toothless purred his satisfaction. Hiro let out a shaky laugh. “There we go, I knew he’d come to love me eventually.”

Toothless turned his gaze to Baymax next. He paced around him in slow circles, head tilted to one side. Both boys held their breath as they watched their companions regard each other; Toothless had panicked when he’d last caught sight of the robot. Now, Toothless stepped up in front of Baymax and gave Baymax’s face an experimental nudge with his snout. Baymax blinked. Then, he wrapped his arms round Toothless’ neck and shouted a delighted, “Scaly baby!” Toothless closed his eyes contentedly.

Hiccup and Hiro let out identical sighs of relief. Satisfied that Toothless wasn’t going to harm Baymax, Hiccup headed back to the middle of the clearing and sat down cross-legged. Hiro stayed put for a little while longer, finding it difficult to tear his eyes away, and by the time he joined Hiccup on the grass, the Viking had picked all the daisies within an arm’s radius and gathered them into a pile in front of him. Hiro picked the ones he could reach too, added them to the pile between them and looked at Hiccup expectantly. “Do you know how to make a daisy chain?” Hiccup asked.

Hiro shook his head. “We don’t really have a lot of flowers where I come from. Everything’s just buildings and roads…the occasional mountain.”

“Here,” Hiccup picked up two daisies and held them up so Hiro could see how he linked them together. He split the pile into two and pushed half of the daisies towards Hiro.

Hiro’s nails were bitten short, but he began linking up his own daisies as best he could. He ended up mangling half his stems so it took him twice as long to get through his pile as it did Hiccup. When he finished, he held the chain up for Hiccup’s inspection. Hiccup took it from him and rested it carefully on his leg. He’d tied the ends of his own daisy chain together to make a loop. “Come here,” he said, and Hiro leaned closer to him so Hiccup could place the daisies on his head like a crown, holding his breath until Hiccup lowered his hands from his head.

“Um…thanks?”

“You’re welcome.”

“Do I look ridiculous?”

“Well I wasn’t going to mention it…” smirked Hiccup.

Hiro scowled and took his own chain back from Hiccup so he could make another crown to place on Hiccup’s head. “There,” he said, “now we’re even.”

“Please,” Hiccup scoffed, tossing his head theatrically (though careful not to disturb the daisies) “ _I_ make it work.” A laugh escaped Hiro’s mouth without his permission, ringing strangely in his own ears; it’d been a while since he’d heard that sound.

“So, this is the life of a Viking chief?” he asked, pushing that last thought aside. “Taming  dragons and forcing daisy crowns onto people?”

“Actually I’m pretty sure I’m a first in both of those cases,” Hiccup corrected. “And you’re the only one I’m forcing daisy crowns onto.”

“Then I suppose I should feel honoured.”

“You should,” Hiccup agreed. His serious expression held out for about a second before giving way to laughter. It was the first time he’d heard Hiccup laugh, and it made Hiro smile the way music makes people dance.

“So are dragons a new thing around here?” Hiro asked. He was still having trouble coming to terms with their existence, even though he was sitting just half a clearing away from one.

“No, we’ve always had them,” Hiccup said, “We’ve just not always been – uh – friendly.” He grimaced. “Actually, most of my life I was raised to aim to kill them.” Hiro’s eyes widened and Hiccup shrugged. “Both sides felt threatened by the other. Nobody knew any better.”

“You did,” said Hiro.

“Not at first. I almost killed Toothless.”

Hiro glanced across the clearing at the dragon, who was pouncing in playful circles around Baymax. He sort of reminded Hiro of his cat, Mochi. Thinking about how gentle Hiccup was with Toothless, even though the creature seemed more than capable of defending himself, and how the dragon treated Hiccup with total trust, he just couldn’t imagine one killing the other.

“I know,” said Hiccup sombrely, as if reading Hiro’s expression.

“So what happened?”

Hiccup shrugged again. “I didn’t. I…couldn’t. And he returned the favour. And that’s when I knew.” His eyes had a far-away look about them. “We’ve been training them for the past few years now.”

“Is that why you got made Chief?”

“Um, no…” Hiccup was saved the trouble of elaborating by a hissing sound from behind them. He turned warily; Toothless hissing was not usually a good sign. But the hissing, he realised, didn’t actually seem to be coming from Toothless, it was…coming from Baymax?

“Uh…is he supposed to do that?” Hiccup asked.

Hiro stood up and dug a small roll of tape out of his pocket. “He must’ve got punctured somehow,” he muttered, making his way to the Robot. “What happened, Baymax?”

“It seems that the toothless dragon is not-so-toothless after all,” Baymax said dolefully, examining his deflating arm while Hiro patched him up. Hiro looked at Toothless, who quickly retracted his teeth and affected innocence.

“Toothless!” Hiccup scolded the dragon, “Why are you so determined to sabotage Hiro’s way home?”

“Maybe he just really doesn’t want us to leave,” Hiro suggested.

Toothless nodded reverently and batted his eyelashes. He nudged Hiccup’s hand hopefully. “You’re right,” said Hiccup, feigning solemnity, “Maybe you’ll be trapped here until I’ve got you entirely covered in daisy chain-mail.” Toothless licked the back of Hiccup’s hand. “Oh, go on then, you useless reptile,” he sighed, tossing a fish through the air into Toothless’ general direction. The dragon launched himself after it and snapped it up out of the air. He spat half of it back out at Baymax’ feet (Feet? Stumps?) by way of apology. “Oh nice, Toothless,” Hiccup commented, “That will make them want to stay.”

The boys sat down again, separating Toothless and Baymax, and took turns throwing fish for Toothless to catch between his jaws. He didn’t miss a single one.

“What is that, by the way?” Hiccup asked after a while.

“What?”

Hiccup leaned over and reached into Hiro’s pocket; every muscle in his body seemed to tense. Hiccup hooked his finger round the roll of tape and pulled it out. “This,” he said.

Hiro stared at him dumbly for a second. “Duct tape!” he blurted. “Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped!” He blushed. “I, um, read that somewhere, anyway…”

Hiccup was laughing again and Hiro found himself smiling in spite of himself. He picked up another fish and said, “Bet you I can throw one Toothless can’t catch before you can.”

Hiccup set his jaw, one eyebrow raised in a challenge. “Bet you can’t.”


	4. Swordfights I

Hiro sat cross-legged on the edge of the work bench with Baymax’ flight suit resting on the floor so it was a comfortable height to work on. After feeding Toothless in the clearing yesterday, he’d spent most of the day with Baymax in the workshop. This morning, the flying mechanism was working again and there were just a few minor fixes in the rest of the suit. He could probably finish by the end of today if he worked quickly, but despite being anxious to go home and assure his friends that he was okay, he found himself drawing his tasks out longer than was strictly necessary.

A part of him was feeling a little deflated at the prospect of leaving Berk so soon. He was a little in awe of this island, with its Vikings and its dragons and its…Okay, if he was being totally honest, it was Hiccup who he really didn’t want to leave. Which was ridiculous, and stupid, he knew. He had only known Hiccup for _two days_ \- he didn’t really know him at all - and he should really be hurrying to get out of this place as soon as possible, because it was clearly warping his brain. It was just difficult to feel pleased about returning home when something about this place seemed to sing to him, _stay, stay, stay_.

“Hiro?” Baymax was looking at Hiro with his head tilted quizzically.

“What?” Hiro snapped back to the present. “Uh, yeah Baymax, what is it?”

“You have not moved for the past two minutes,” Baymax informed him. “Perhaps you are having a seizure – would you like me to perform a scan?”

“No, I’m fine, I’m good, I was just…thinking.”

“Thoughts do not usually cause paralysis,” observed Baymax.

“No, they do not” Hiro agreed absentmindedly as he went back to studying the diagram on Baymax’ screen. But before he could work on anything else, Hiccup’s voice emerged from the doorway –“Hey, Hiro,” -  and Hiro promptly dropped whatever it was he’d been holding. (He didn’t remember what it was anymore.)

Hiro spun round. “Hey! Hi-hello-hey-hi-he-ey…that was…too many greetings, wasn’t it?” He was blushing furiously and smiling so wide it made his cheeks hurt (he supposed he was out of practice). Baymax was staring at him like he’d contracted some perplexing new disease. There was a distinct possibility, Hiro reflected, that he was in fact, going insane.

Hiccup laughed, “Well, consider yourself exempt from the duty of greeting me the next five times you see me.” He bent down to pick up the tool Hiro had dropped and handed it back to him. Their hands brushed as Hiro took it back and he honestly almost dropped it again. _Get a grip, Hiro,_ he mentally scolded himself. _You’re leaving this place. Do not get attached_.

“So,” said Hiccup, walking round the bench to stand with Hiro, “There’s a sword fighting tournament today. Everyone’s going to be in the arena. There’ll be food and music and, well, I’m competing and,” Hiccup chewed on his lower lip, “I thought you might want to take a break from working and come and watch?”

Hiro didn’t need any more convincing. It wasn’t that he was jumping at the chance to stall his departure, it’s just that it would’ve been rude to say no. That was what he told himself, anyway.

“Awesome,” Hiccup grinned. “Come and help me get my armour on?”

“Oh sure, sure,” said Hiro, hoping neither Hiccup nor Baymax noticed that his voice was an octave higher than usual.

***

So that is how Hiccup ended up in the armoury, explaining to Hiro how to tie on his armour plates and trying to act calm and Chief-like. He was oddly grateful that Hiro had agreed to come and watch; unless you counted dragon training – and most people didn’t – sword fighting was Hiccup’s best skill, and he wanted Hiro to _know_. He was told by everyone who saw him fight that he was very talented for his age, but today he’d face Vikings with twice his fighting experience, and he didn’t want to just be _very talented for his age_. He wanted to be _the best_. It wasn’t rational, he knew. It wasn’t as if ‘ _I’m good at sword fighting’_ was much compared to _‘I created actual time travel,’_ but it was the best that Hiccup had. Besides, Chiefs were supposed to be the best at these things, right?

“So, sword fighting,” Hiro interrupted his thoughts as he finished tying the last straps. He walked round to see Hiccup’s front and gave his armour an appreciative look. “That’s pretty badass.” Hiccup ducked his head and smiled, feeling abruptly self-conscious under Hiro’s stare.

“I’ll teach you sometime,” Hiccup promised.

“ALL COMPETITORS TO THE ARENA,” Gobber’s voice thundered from next door.

Hiccup managed a final tight smile. “Go get yourself a seat.”

“I’ll be cheering for you, Viking,” he heard Hiro say as he left the room. Hiccup’s heart started pumping something hotter than blood through his veins.

***

Hiro was among the first few spectators to enter the arena, where the competitors were already standing shoulder to shoulder around the inner circle. He caught sight of Hiccup’s coppery hair and chose a seat which gave a good view of him.

The Vikings were paired up so the first two youngest would fight first, then the next two youngest, and so on. The winners of each fight would then be re-paired according to age for the next round, and this process would repeat until there were only two fighters left. The first duel was between two boys who looked about twelve or thirteen in age. They were clearly beginners, but Hiro decided within the first thirty seconds of their fight that he loved this sport. He watched with rapt attention as each duel proved itself to be more skilful and intricate than the last, cheering and clapping and wincing along with the rest of the crowd.

Hiro’s stomach jolted when Hiccup stepped into the centre. He leaned forward in his seat. Hiccup’s opponent stepped up to face him a few seconds later: a blonde, athletic-looking girl wearing a mischievous smile. A tense ‘Oooh’  rippled through the spectators and there were a few wolf-whistles here and there.

Being right at the front, Hiro was close enough to hear the girl say to Hiccup, “Don’t go easy on me.” Hiccup twirled his sword and smirked, “Don’t give me a choice.” And then they were duelling. It had happened so quickly Hiro had no idea which one of them had made the first move. Perhaps they both had. They matched each other’s movements strike for strike. Where the girl drove forward, Hiccup had already moved from that space; where Hiccup struck, the girl was already prepared with a parry. It looked more like choreography than fighting. The pair of them were caught up into an intricate dance of silvery blurs, and Hiro was helplessly captivated.

Abruptly, the girl’s face fell. One second her sword had been in her hand, swiping at Hiccup, and the next second it was on the ground. She tried to make a grab for it but Hiccup was too fast; he caught it under his foot and kicked it back behind him so he was standing between the girl and her weapon. Hiro would’ve thought this meant game over, but the girl barely missed a beat. She dodged around Hiccup’s sword, drawing him away from her own one, then darted passed him, cartwheeling (yes, _actual_ cartwheeling) towards the spot where her sword lay and somehow landing back on her feet with the sword in her hand. The stadium broke into applause.

Hiccup didn’t wait for his opponent to re-group. He lashed out towards her, moving in quick circles around her, forcing her to spin on the spot in order to keep up. Just as she seemed to be getting into the rhythm of things, Hiccup flipped her over his leg and she landed on her back with a dull _clang_. Before she could even think to get up, Hiccup pressed a knee to the girl’s abdomen, caught her by her sword-arm and pinned her wrist to the ground away from both of them. His sword hovered over her chest and the audience roared.

Hiccup stood up and grinned at the crowd. He held his hand out to the girl and she grudgingly allowed him to pull her to her feet. The two both bowed, then walked opposite ways off the fighting area: one to join the spectators and one to join the other winners of the first round.

A teenage boy sitting next to Hiro elbowed his friend in the side and said, “Dude, Astrid looks _pissed.”_

“I’m sure Hiccup will find a way to make it up her,” his friend replied in a not-altogether-innocent voice.

“ _I’d_ like to make it up to her,” said the first guy in a decidedly-not-innocent voice. Hiro felt a flicker of annoyance at the way they were talking, but before he could think of anything to say to them, the next pair stepped into the middle and Hiro was once again entranced.

Hiccup was sort of spectacular. Match after match, he fought as if his life was on the line, his whole world narrowed down to just his sword and his opponent, right up until he had his sword-pint on the other’s chest, at which point his ferocity would melt away without a trace and he would graciously help his vanquishee to his or her feet.

The tournament went on for a couple of hours, until finally there were only two competitors left: Hiccup, and a man who looked to be in his thirties and was about twice Hiccup’s size, which was saying something, because Hiccup was actually pretty muscular. (Not that Hiro had been staring, you understand. It’s just that, when helping a Viking put on his armour over a very tight shirt, one can’t help but ~~admire~~ notice.)

Hiro held his breath as the finalists stepped up to each other. The larger man was undeniably powerful, but Hiccup was faster. He dodged and ducked and danced out of reach and Hiro could see the other man’s actions becoming more desperate. Hiccup’s mouth was moving, and though Hiro couldn’t hear what he was saying over the cheers of the crowd, Hiccup seemed to be taunting the other fighter. The man’s eyes narrowed, and in his anger, he started getting careless. Hiccup knew what he was doing. He waited patiently for his opening and when it finally presented himself, he knocked his opponent’s sword out of his hand and got his sword-point to his chest in one fluid movement. The fight was won practically before it even started.

The arena was a sea of Vikings, rising to their feet, carrying some kind of barbarian chant around the ring. A middle aged, red-haired woman stepped up onto the centre, clasped Hiccup’s hand and raised it into the air, and he was presented with a brass-horned helmet. The woman raised her other hand for quiet. “I am very proud,” she announced, her voice reverberating through the entire stadium, “to present this year’s winner of the annual Hooligan sword tournament: my son, and your Chief, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third!” The crowd cheered again and Hiro cheered with them. 

Hiccup looked up, straight at Hiro and flashed him a brilliant, crooked grin and Hiro felt his stomach flip. _Well, shit,_ thought Hiro.


	5. Theia (Total Badass)

Now that the duelling was over, the spectators and competitors milled around together in the inner circle. Food was piled high on tables around the edge of the arena and a group of elderly Vikings played off-key music at the far end.

People kept coming up to Hiccup to congratulate him. He chatted with them all warmly, throwing Hiro a smile or asking, “You good?” in between conversations. Hiro didn’t really mingle with the other Vikings. He just hovered a little behind Hiccup’s shoulder and tried to ignore the curious looks being sent his way. He kept his gaze fixed on Hiccup instead. The boy’s hair was damp with sweat and starting to curl a little. When it seemed Hiccup had talked to _every person_ in the village, he turned to Hiro properly. “So, um, what did you think?  I hope you weren’t bored.”

“No, it was amazing.” Hiro directed his gaze a little over Hiccups’ shoulder as he added, “You were amazing. I mean, obviously,” he gestured to the prize helmet under Hiccup’s arm. “But, still. You were.”

Somehow Hiro’s eyes had drifted back to Hiccup’s face, in time to see another grin spreading over his face as he said, “Thank you.” Hiro dropped his gaze. His entire face was burning.

“Hiccup!” a small, grimy-cheeked girl was running towards them, her straggly brown hair fluttering round her face. Hiro resumed his quiet hovering, assuming the girl was here to offer Hiccup more praise. But instead she grabbed his hand and said, “We’ve had a hatching!”

This didn’t make a lot of sense to Hiro, but he followed Hiccup and the girl out of the arena and towards a nearby, barn-like building. “This is Hilda,” Hiccup told Hiro as they jogged along a small dirt path, “She’s our best dragon-sitter.” Hilda swelled with pride.

When they entered the barn, Hiro found the entire building carpeted with hay. A few Viking children were sitting on a haystack at the back of the barn, having an animated discussion about something Hiro was too far away to hear. One of them had a small dragon draped across her lap. In the centre of the room, looking very out of place, was a large, mahogany table on which sat what looked like a giant wicker basket filled with impossibly large, cracked eggs. Each broken shell was cradling a small, sleepy-eyed dragon.

“Seven of them,” Hilda told Hiccup, gesturing to the basket. “We named five, thought we’d leave the two Skrills for you.” She pointed to two deeply purple dragons blinking blearily up at them from the basket. “They’re sisters.”

Hiccup scooped one up carefully; she fit comfortably in his cupped hands. “Aren’t you beautiful,” he breathed, running a gentle thumb over her head. He turned to Hiro and held the dragon out to him. “Here, you name this one.”

Before Hiro had time to protest, Hiccup was transferring the dragon into his hands and Hiro had no choice but to hold onto her and pray that his recent tendency to drop things in Hiccup’s presence did not apply to dragons. He looked down at her while Hiccup returned to the basket to pick up the other Skrill. She was very warm, and her eyes seemed to take up about two thirds of her inky-purple face.

“Skrills,” Hiccup informed Hiro, coming to stand next to him with his own dragon in hand. “They’re pretty rare and they’re amazing predators. I’m trusting you to give her a badass name.”

Hiro regarded his dragon again. “She’s kind of adorable,” he said.

The dragon pulled her brow down into what might have been a frown and breathed an angry puff of smoke. She looked about as threatening as a kitten. Hiro laughed. “Yup, definitely adorable.

“We’ll see how adorable you think she is when she’s three times your size,” said Hiccup. The dragon swished her tail in agreement. “What are you naming her?”

“What are you naming yours?”

Hiccup scrutinized the dragon in his palms for a moment and said, “Katana.”

Hiro studied his own dragon’s sleepy face and tried to imagine her being named after a weapon, like Hiccup’s. It just didn’t seem right. Eventually, he decided, “Theia.”

Hiccup snorted, “Theia? That’s not badass, that’s _cute._ Stop mocking the cute dragon, Hiro.”

“Okay, hear me out. Billions of years ago,” said Hiro, “There was this object in space that came crashing into the earth with such a force that it took a piece of the world with it, and the two of them went on to form the moon. And we call her Theia. That’s who you’re named after,” he said, talking to the dragon now. “Theia was powerful, she was strong enough to shake the earth and she grew up to be the brightest thing that shines at night. Total badass.” The dragon seemed to approve; she managed to snort out a few exited sparks.

Hiccup studied him for a moment. Eventually he just shrugged and said, “Nerd.”

He didn’t make Hiro pick a different name.


	6. Astrid

That evening, Hiro entered the dining hall and scanned the room for Hiccup. He said he’d be here by now. Hiro had just made his mind up to go and look for him at the workshop, when he heard his name being called from behind him. He turned towards the sound of Hiccup’s voice and located him after another moment of searching. He realised the reason he hadn’t seen Hiccup at first was that his head was resting in the lap of a pretty blonde girl, who was playing with his hair. Hiro made his way over to them, doing his best to ignore the unwelcome pang in his chest.

“Hey,” Hiccup sat up and the girl turned her attention to Hiro with interest. On closer inspection, Hiro realised it was the same girl Hiccup had defeated in his first sword fight of the tournament today. He remembered the way the audience had reacted to the two of them being pitted against each other, and the comments he’d heard from those boys sitting next to him. It made sense now.

“Hey,” muttered Hiro, determinedly not meeting either of their eyes. He held his fist out to Hiccup and they knocked knuckles. This time, Hiccup imitated the explosion sound he had heard Hiro make previously, and Hiro gave a small nod of approval.

The girl nudged Hiccup in the side. “Oh, right,” said Hiccup, “Astrid, this is Hiro. Hiro, this is Astrid.”

“Oh, _this_ is Astrid,” Hiro repeated, and inwardly cringed at how harsh the words had come out. He tried to correct himself, smiling at Astrid as they said hello, but he could feel that it wasn’t reaching his eyes. Astrid seemed not to notice and responded with a dazzling smile of her own; it lit up her features into something that really was rather beautiful. Hiro wished she’d stop.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you!” Astrid said brightly as Hiro sat down across from the other two. She sounded so genuine that Hiro felt a little guilty for not returning her enthusiasm. “I feel like there’s still so much Hiccup hasn’t told me about you,” she continued.

Hiro met Hiccup’s eyes as he said, “Likewise.” Hiccup shifted in his seat.

Astrid bombarded Hiro with questions about his home as they ate, and Hiro was content enough to answer them. It gave him an excuse not to talk to Hiccup, who contributed very little to the conversation, finally placing a hand gently on Astrid’s shoulder and saying, “Astrid, let the guy eat.” It was true that Hiro had barely eaten anything, but he found he didn’t have much of an appetite.

Astrid stuck her tongue out at Hiccup and picked up her empty plate (she may not have looked like it, but that girl could _eat_ ). “I have to go anyway,” she said as she stood up, “It’s my shift to clean out the dragon nursery. Joy of joys.” She winked at Hiro, dropped a kiss on Hiccup’s forehead and skipped away with effortless grace, leaving the two boys in uncomfortable silence.

After a minute or so, Hiro opened his mouth to ask something about the dragon nursery, but what came out was, “Girlfriend?” Hiccup nodded. “Well, she seems like a very nice girl,” Hiro said, then felt stupid. Hiccup didn’t need his approval. He finished his dinner quickly, barely noticing what he was eating, and headed back to the workshop so he could finish fixing the flight suit and get the hell out of here.


	7. Chief-like

Hiccup sat slumped in his chair, across the table from the village Elders. On one end of the row sat his grandfather, blue eyes twinkling cheerily. He was the only one at the table who seemed at all happy to be there; the other four men were apt to fix Hiccup with stern stares that made him feel less like a Chief and more like a scolded child whenever they had a meeting. And Hiccup seemed to be spending an increasing amount of time in this wretched meeting hall of late.

“Hiccup,” the Elder in the centre of the row had his fingers steepled and was peering down his long nose at Hiccup. He was one of the only Vikings on Berk who didn’t address him as ‘Chief,’ and it wasn’t because they were close. “We wanted to check on how your plans are going?”

“My plans,” Hiccup said sullenly, “are going pretty much the same as when you asked me two days ago.”

“So pretty much nothing?” clarified another Elder.

“Pretty much,” Hiccup agreed, not looking at the men opposite him. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the pair of stools at the back of the room, where Astrid and his mother were perched – his moral support for the evening. Astrid caught his eye and made a show of looking supremely bored, swinging her legs and yawning ostentatiously. The corner of Hiccup’s mouth twitched.

“Hiccup,” the first Elder leaned forward, and Hiccup dragged his attention back to his face. “Do you know what day it is three weeks from today?”

Hiccup’s jaw tightened. He was dimly aware of his mother and Astrid sending twin glares towards the elders’ table from behind their backs. “Do you really think for one second that I could have forgotten?” said Hiccup icily.

The Elder dipped his head, looking slightly abashed. “Ahem. Yes, well, the point is your year is very nearly up. It is time for you to commit to the full scope of your responsibilities as a Chief. To-”

“To represent my tribe and keep good fellowship with our Viking brothers,” Hiccup reeled off, interrupting the old man. “Yes, yes, I heard you the first twenty times.” Astrid grinned and rolled her eyes at him. He couldn’t bring himself to smile back. He felt suddenly and overwhelmingly tired.

A third Elder leaned forward, “There have been stirrings among our neighbouring islands – dragons wreaking havoc in the other tribes, and it’s only getting worse. A war is coming, Hiccup. Whether you like it or not, perhaps dragons are just not meant to get along with men; there will be a fight over this territory, it’s only a matter of time. The neighbour tribes want to know if they can count on us to stand with them.”

“And what if I say they can’t?” asked Hiccup.

All the Elders except Hiccup’s grandfather exchanged uneasy glances. “We would – ah – strongly advise that you ally the Hooligans with other tribes.”

“Alright,” said Hiccup, trying to keep his voice even. “And what if, having taken your advice into account, I still say that they can’t?”

The central Elder sighed, “Look, Hiccup, I hope you reconsider. But whatever decision you make, you  and Astrid still have a duty to travel and meet with the other Chiefs, especially as you have yet to formally introduce yourself in your new position. It is procedure.”

Hiccup sat back in his chair, glaring at the table. He didn’t like this. He didn’t want this. He hadn’t asked for this. “Fine,” he grumbled at last, “Although I don’t see the point of travelling all that way just to tell the other tribes I want nothing to do with them.”

The Viking on the far left of the table spoke up for the first time, apparently having lost his patience. “Chief, I don’t think you understand. Once our neighbours start to fight in earnest, even _our_ dragons won’t care about our previous co-existence. They are animals – all they care about is survival. They will defend themselves along with the rest of their species There’s no way for us to stay out of this fight: you can either choose to side with our brethren, our fellow Vikings, or you can choose to side with, well, a pack of animals. I know you have a fondness for the creatures, Hiccup, but surely you wouldn’t choose them over your own comrades?”

Hiccup gnawed on his lip, struggling to keep his breathing under control. He felt trapped here in this stuffy meeting room. He wanted to get out of here. Gods, he just wanted to _get out._

“Hiccup,” the first Elder tried a different approach. “Your father knew the importance of being a strong leader. He would have known better than refuse our brothers aid. He would be disappointed, I think, if you did not agree to this alliance.”

That had been the wrong thing to say. Hiccup’s eyes burned. From across the room, his mother’s face had turned to steel. He knew that when she started to look that pissed-off it was safe for him to leave. He pushed himself up from his chair with rather more force than was necessary. A couple of the Elders flinched. “Chief-” one of them began tentatively.

“This meeting is over,” Hiccup snapped, striding towards the door. His mother gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he passed her. _‘I’ll deal with them,’_ the gesture said.  Hiccup reached the exit, paused, and flicked his gaze to the table once more. “And for the record,” he said, “The dragons on this island are just as much my comrades as the Vikings.”

“Hiccup-”

“ _If not more_ ,” he added. He flung the door open and stepped out into the night.

He didn’t know where he was going except _away_.  Sometimes – increasingly frequently of late – he thought about climbing onto Toothless’ back and just flying forever, just flying away from his responsibilities, just escape _._

He wasn’t cut out for this. He wasn’t ready for this. He felt as if he might suffocate under the pressure of _Chief-like_ this and _Chief-like_ that. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was supposed to have had more time, years and years, to shadow his father, to learn how things were done. He was supposed to have had more time to just _have_ a father.

But one day without warning, his father was just _gone_ , and it was like the ground had dropped from under him, and suddenly people were telling him he was Chief. And that he needed to be strong, that he needed to be commanding, because that’s what Chiefs did. Well he didn’t feel like a Chief. He felt like a child playing at being Chief. He felt like a child who wanted to curl up and hide in a nest full of dragons forever.

His father should be here. He would know what to do – or would he? Stoic wouldn’t be too keen on sticking up for dragons at the expense of his fellow Vikings. _Tribe comes first, Hiccup, remember that,_ he’d always used to say, _Tribe comes first._ As cruel as it was to use a boy’s dead father against him, the truth was that the Elder’s accusation hadn’t stung because it wasn’t true, it had stung because it was.

Perhaps if Stoic was here, he could appeal to him, persuade him, and in turn his father would get the tribe on-side. It had worked in the past. But you couldn’t plead with the dead…

His hands were balled into fists in his pockets to stop them from shaking. These meetings always left him in the worst moods, like he had too much nervous energy rattling around inside him and didn’t know what to do with it. He thought about going to the arena to train for a while. He thought about going flying with Toothless. He thought about going to see Hiro.

He made up his mind to go with the latter option, and realised he was already headed towards Gobber’s house and the workshop, as if his feet had intended to take him there all along anyway. He was brought out of his reverie by a chorus of panicked shouts up ahead. A group of villagers were huddled together, staring up at the dragon that was hovering above them – Hiccup didn’t recognise it as one of his. Something orange flickered in Hiccup’s periphery and he turned to it, his insides turning cold at the sight that awaited him.

Berk was under a dragon attack. And Gobber’s workshop was on fire.


	8. Lost/Found

Panic seized Hiccup’s chest, squeezing his heart in an iron grip. Hiro was in there. He sprinted towards the building at full pelt, ignoring the alarmed shouts of “Hiccup!” and “Chief!” that followed him. The fire wasn’t too bad yet – flames were just licking at the exterior of the workshop and hadn’t spread far inside – but Hiccup could still feel the heat radiating from the building from a few metres away. He took a last breath of clean air before plunging inside.

He looked around wildly through the smoke, but the workshop appeared to be deserted. Maybe Hiro hadn’t been in here? Maybe he’d got out? Maybe…

Then Hiccup spotted him: sitting in the corner of the room, hugging his knees and watching the flames creeping nearer to him with glazed eyes. He was muttering something to himself, it sounded like, “Tadashi…save him…”

“Hiro!” Hiccup ran over and dropped to a crouch at Hiro’s side. “What are you doing, we need to get out of here! Hiro? Are you okay?” The boy was still talking to himself, giving no indication that he’d even noticed Hiccup was there.

“Save him…I have to go…I have to go…”

“Yeah, you’re right, we _do_ have to go,” Hiccup said, but Hiro still didn’t seem to be listening. He took Hiro by the shoulders and gave him a little shake. No response. “Okay,” Hiccup sighed, looping an arm around Hiro’s waist and hauling him up. Wherever Hiro’s mind was, he didn’t appear to be coming back to himself any time soon. “Let’s get you outside.” Hiro at least managed to walk to the exit, even if it was just because Hiccup was dragging him.

Outside it was chaos, Vikings scrabbling for catapults and crossbows and dodging jets of fire from above. Other than the workshop, there were three more buildings in sight which had caught flame.

At the coastline Hiccup could make out the figures of Gobber and his mother calling orders and pulling a firing line into formation. He knew he was supposed to be up there with them, but he didn’t want to leave Hiro alone in his present condition, and he couldn’t very well _drag_ him half-way across the island, especially as Hiro didn’t seem to have the presence of mind to duck when necessary.

He tried giving the boy another tentative shake. Hiro gasped and stared around frantically, “How did we – where are we – where…?” he stuttered, breaths coming out short and sharp.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay!” Hiccup said, squeezing Hiro’s shoulders. “You’re safe now, okay? You’re safe here.” Which was stretching the truth a little, but they were at least out of immediate danger. Hiro was trembling, still whispering _Tadashi_ over and over. He looked as if he might cry. “Hiro, what’s wrong, who’s Tadashi?” asked Hiccup.

Hiro blinked rapidly and took in their surroundings, belated comprehension appearing on his face. He wrenched himself out of Hiccup’s grip and dragged his sleeve across his eyes. “None of your business,” he scowled. Hiccup decided not to press him any further, not least because they really didn’t have the time right now.

“Look,” said Hiccup, “I have to go help the others fight these dragons off, and I don’t want you getting hurt. I f you can make your way back to the infirmary, that should be far enough from-”

“Baymax!” Hiro exclaimed abruptly, “I have to get Baymax!”

“Good idea,” said Hiccup, thinking maybe the Care Companion would be able to help calm Hiro down. “Where is he?”

“Hiccup…” Hiro’s eyes were wide. “I left him in the workshop, he was charging…and I wasn’t thinking…and…I have to go back.”

Hiccup looked over his shoulder at the building they’d just fled from just in time to watch the roof cave in. Already, the fire had eaten their way well into the structure and the doorway was blocked by a wall of flame. It wasn’t looking good. “Hiro…” Hiccup began.

“No! Don’t say it. Don’t you dare tell me to leave him!”

“Look, it’s just-”

“He’s my way out of here, remember? How am I supposed to get back?”

“We can get a dragon to fly you up-”

“No! He’s all I have left, understand? He’s all I fucking have.” Hiro was on the verge of tears and that dark scowl had returned to his face, like he could push them away with anger. Hiccup knew something about that.

Hiccup sighed. He suspected that he was about to do something incredibly stupid. He pulled a whistle out of his pocket, gave it a sharp blast of breath, and within an instant, Toothless was swooping down beside them.

“Up for doing something inadvisable, bud?” Hiccup asked the dragon, and Toothless nodded eagerly. To Hiro, he said, “Okay, you stay here, I’ll fly in, and-”

“ _No_ , are you crazy?” Hiro protested. “I’m coming with you!”

“Hiro, we don’t have time to argue about this-”

“Glad you agree,” said Hiro, already climbing onto Toothless’ back.

Hiccup let out a growl of frustration. _Gods,_ this boy was infuriating sometimes. “Fine,” he said as he climbed up in front and took the reins. “Hold onto me tight.”

As soon as Hiro’s hands were on his shoulders, Hiccup signalled for Toothless to take flight, steering them towards the workshop. Toothless hovered over the gaping hole in the roof so Hiccup could take a look inside. Heat and smoke coalesced from the building, making Hiccup’s eyes water, but he was fairly certain there was space for them to land in the centre of the room. Toothless’ scales were fire-proof anyway; it was just Hiro he had to worry about.

“There!” Hiro cried, pointing to the rad box where Baymax recharged. Toothless dropped inside and Hiro swung his leg over Toothless’ back like he was dismounting a horse.

“Hurry,” Hiccup said.

“Oh, _no shit,_ Viking, thanks for that,” Hiro snapped as he scrambled over the clutter towards Baymax.  There was a sudden _crack_ and a shower of sparks as a flaming beam of wood came loose from the wall and threatened to topple into Hiro’s path.

 _“Hiro!”_ Hiccup cried in warning, but Toothless caught the beam with his tail and swept it aside before it could do Hiro any harm. Hiro reached the box, tossed it over to Hiccup, and ran over to Baymax’s flight suit. “Hiro, _come on_ ,” Hiccup urged, scanning the walls anxiously for the next beam that might collapse.

Hiro seemed to have frozen up again, and Hiccup wondered why the hell he’d insisted on coming back in here when it affected him like this. The boy’s eyes had gone wide enough that Hiccup could see reflections of the flames dancing inside them. There was an ominous creaking from somewhere above them, like what remained of the walls’ structure would give way any second now.

Hiccup nearly screamed in panic. “Hiro Hamada, get your arse back here before I leave you to burn!” That snapped Hiro out of it and got him moving again. He dragged the flight suit over the half-burnt rubble and Hiccup helped him haul it onto Toothless’ back.

Hiro’s arms were busy clinging to Baymax and his flight suit as if they were his lifelines, so Hiccup held onto Hiro with one hand and Toothless’ reigns with the other as he yelled, “Toothless, let’s go.” Toothless shot into the sky like he was planning to reach the moon, and the moment they cleared the building, the walls caved in, sending up a shower of whit-gold sparks. Toothless flew a couple of circuits, scouting out a safe place to land, finally delivering them near the infirmary, where a few wounded Vikings were being led inside.

“Hiccup!” Hiccup glanced up at the sound of his name, to see Astrid sitting astride Stormfly, stray strands of hair flying around her face. “Are you guys okay? We need you up there!” she called, pointing towards the cliff’s edge where the action was.

“I’ll be right there!” Hiccup replied, and Astrid turned to head back to the fight. “Astrid?” Hiccup called after her, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Hypocrite,” she shouted back cheerfully without turning to look at him. Hiccup smiled a little, although he was really dreading joining in with the battle.

Meanwhile, another casualty was being brought into the infirmary, grunting in pain. Baymax took this as his queue to activate and started following the patient inside.

“Um, shouldn’t you go and get him?” Hiccup asked, eyes following Baymax curiously.

“No, it’s okay,” Hiro said. He rested the flight suit against the wall of the infirmary. “Baymax can help in there. I’ll come with you.”

“I’d really rather you stayed…” Hiccup began, but Hiro levelled him with a _look,_ and Hiccup sensed that arguing would be pointless.

Toothless flew the boys over to the firing line, where most of the villagers were congregated, shooting dragons out of the sky like birds. Somebody tossed a crossbow in Hiccup’s direction and he caught it. It hurt his heart to do it but he switched on to Chief mode, set his jaw and loaded his own arrows. _Tribe comes first, Hiccup_ , _Tribe comes first._

He took hold of Hiro’s wrists and pulled Hiro’s arms around his waist, pushing Hiro’s hands together until he clasped them. “Don’t let go.”

“Okay,” Hiro agreed quietly. His chest was pressed up against Hiccup’s back, his chin resting on his shoulder. It would’ve been comforting if Hiccup wasn’t so worried about Hiro getting hurt.

Toothless brought them up on a level with their attackers and Hiccup let arrow after arrow fly, catching wings and tails. He felt every hit digging into his own chest. Tomorrow morning, he would search the woods for injured dragons who were willing to make peace with their tribe in return for Hiccup patching them up.

“Looks like you could use some extra target practice, little cousin!” Snotlout sneered as he swept by on his Monstrous Nightmare. He was enjoying himself way too much.

Hiccup was about to ask if Snotlout was volunteering as a target, when Hiro growled, “He’s not _aiming_ to kill, you moron.” It seemed that they were back to being on each other’s side, for now at least.

To prove the point, Hiccup shot his next arrow into Snotlout’s, knocking it off-course so that it pierced a dragon’s tail rather than its chest. “Dude,” Hiro exclaimed, and despite the horror of the situation, Hiro’s tone of admiration made Hiccup’s heart skip. Gods, what was the matter with him?

Hiccup’s eyes flitted across the sky, which was still looking bleak. Berk’s dragons at least seemed to be staying loyal to the tribe and for that Hiccup was grateful, but they weren’t making any progress towards being rid of the enemies. For every dragon that went down, another would appear to take its place. He racked his brains for a different tactic, but he was coming up blank.

A piercing shriek from somewhere to his left interrupted his thoughts and he turned his head towards the noise. It didn’t sound human. Toothless was already moving without Hiccup having to tell him to.

He tracked the sound to one of the burning huts and circled above it so that Hiccup could see the dragon that was trapped inside with a torn wing. Hiccup didn’t recognise her, so he assumed she was one of the attackers. In fact, there was a distinct possibility that she’d been the one who’d set the building on fire before she’d been shot down. But still, there was no way he was leaving her there. Dragons were fire-proof, but that wasn’t going to do her any good if the building caved in on top of her – which it was threatening to do at any minute. He had to get down to her, but Toothless was too big to fit through that gap…

“Hiccup…” Hiro said warily, “What are you thinking?”

Hiccup steeled his nerves. If retrieving Baymax had been stupid, this was downright suicidal. But there was a chance, if he got this right…

“Please don’t follow my example,” he said, bringing himself up into a crouch on Toothless’ back, “I mean it this time.”

“What are you-”

Hiccup jumped.

***

Hiro was a mess. The whole island was bursting into flame around him building by building, in the light of the sunset even the sky seemed to be in flames, he’d nearly got himself killed – twice - and he was beginning to wonder if this was all just some hellish nightmare. To top it all off, his only (sort of) friend here may have just jumped to his death. And even though he’d told himself over and over that he’d be better off not getting attached (especially given _Astrid_ ), the prospect of that made something twist painfully in Hiro’s chest.

He told himself Hiccup would be okay. He had to, otherwise on top of everything else that was going on, he was just going to fall apart.

He held onto Toothless’ reigns with shaking hands and got the dragon to fly circuits around the island to buy some time to think. He needed to help, but he didn’t think he’d be any good with a crossbow, and besides he could see that the villagers’ current defence strategy was futile. Wherever these dragons were coming from, there seemed to be an endless supply.

Hiro noted that most of the dragons attacking were relatively small, none of them equipped with particularly vicious claws or teeth, and the arrows being shot at them were keeping them far enough away to use them anyway. Their only real asset was their fire. He wished there was a storm; if the island was too damp to catch fire, the dragons’ attacks would be useless. But he couldn’t very well make it rain…Or maybe he could? His mind started racing.

“Toothless, take me back to infirmary.” The dragon sliced through the air in a wide arc, coming down to rest outside the infirmary next to the newly fixed flight suit. Hiro ran over to it, and started taking it apart again. The couple of tools still in Hiro’s back pocket were not ideal for the task at hand, but he was going to have to make do. He took all the motors, all the propellers, all the parts that spun, and then scanned the island for something that would serve the purpose he needed. A stack of empty barrels were piled up by the backdoor of the dining hall. They would do. Some of them even had rope handles attached. Perfect.

He secured the propeller inside the barrel with the rope, and powered it on. Dragging the barrel with him, he ran back over to Toothless, shouting, “Down to the sea!” as he mounted the dragon’s back. Toothless swooped down low enough for Hiro to fill the barrel with water, holding it like a giant bucket, then rose once more above the island. Hiro’s arms were already shaking with the weight of it, so Hiro located the nearest burning building and tipped the barrel upside down from above it. Sea-water sprayed in a large circle onto the ground below them, not only dowsing the flames that were eating at the hut, but soaking into a wide area of ground around it too.

 _Yes_. Hiro broke into a grin. This could actually work. But Toothless was only one dragon and they weren’t going to make very quick progress dropping just one barrel-full at a time. Most of the dragons on the island were already engaged in the fighting, except…Instead of returning to the sea, Hiro steered Toothless towards the barn that acted as the dragon nursery. He burst inside, startling a dozen baby dragons from their slumbers.

Theia raised her inky head, shook her wings out and flew in a wobbly line over to Hiro. He caught her in his arms and stroked her nose. “Hey, you,” Hiro cooed. “Feel like helping me out and exhibiting your badassery?” Excited sparks shot from Theia’s snout.

***

He sent them out in pairs, one propeller-barrel between two dragons, Toothless and Hiro flying in the lead to show them what to do, and Theia and Katana bringing up the rear. Toothless hovered above the sea, waiting for everyone to get into position. He let out a cry, and in one motion, thirteen dragons swept down towards the sea, scooping up barrels of sea-water, then rose back up to hover over the island. Toothless took the centre, and the other dragons arranged themselves like flower petals around the edge. Toothless called out again and they simultaneously up-ended their barrels over the island, flying little circles as they did so to cover as wide an area as possible. For a minute there it really did look as if Hiro had summoned a rainstorm.

The air cleared. The fires were out. Hiro waited.

Up at the coastline, dragons were still shooting bouts of flame at the island. They perished into feeble curls of smoke the minute they hit the ground. The dragons let out cries of outrage. Tried again. The island remained immune. A cheer went up from the Vikings still left standing, as they realised they finally had the high ground. They hurled their arrows at their targets with renewed vigour. Dragon after dragon went down.

Hiro’s heart thudded in his chest as he watched the dragons glance around at each other in confusion. _Figure it out,_ he thought, _figure it out._ One of them rose into the air, turned and fled. One by one, the other dragons followed suit. Hiro watched with bated breath until the attackers were nothing but specks on the horizon.

There was silence.

“It worked,” Hiro said, to no-one in particular. “Holy shit. It worked!” Beneath him, Toothless let out a cry of triumph, and before he knew what was happening, Hiro found himself being swept up in a victory lap around the island. With the threat averted, this was the first time Hiro had the chance to just concentrate on the flight. He’d forgotten how exhilarating it could be to just _fly_.

Without warning, Toothless dived, at an impossibly steep angle, towards the sea. Hiro’s eyes widened and he started to cry out, but his yell melted into laughter as Toothless pulled at the last second. The tips of Toothless’ wings sliced through the foam on the waves, lashing Hiro’s face with salt spray. Hiro could taste it. His eyes stung and the wind had left his cheeks feeling raw and he could barely breathe and all he could think was, _this is what freedom tastes like._ A cry of untethered joy escaped his lips.

Much too soon, Toothless landed Hiro back on the ground with a heavy _thump_ of his paws. His heart was still pumping eruptions of adrenaline frantically through his limbs. He felt like running for no reason. A shout from behind him gave him an excuse to do so.

“Hiro!” Hiccup was headed towards him, a wild grin spreading all over his soot-stained face.

“Hiccup!” Hiro cried, breaking into a run, “did you save her?”

“Yeah, she’s fine! Hilda’s taking care of her!” Both boys were running too fast to avoid colliding with each other; they grabbed each other’s shoulders to keep each other upright, stumbling around until they lost momentum. “It was _you,_ right?” Hiccup asked, eyes wide. “You sent those dragons to douse the island?”

“Yeah,” Hiro panted, “that was me.”

“Dude, that was incredible!” said Hiccup, squeezing Hiro’s shoulders.

Hiro brushed the praise aside. “How the hell are you not dead?”

Impossibly, Hiccup smiled even wider. “You’re not the only one with a flight suit, you know.” He lifted up his arms so Hiro could see the extra folds of fabric on his clothes.

Hiro gaped at him. “You made yourself wings?”

“Yup,” said Hiccup proudly.

Hiro shook his head. “Of course you did.” He remembered abruptly to be angry. “You’re an idiot, do you know that? You could’ve got yourself killed!” And then he was flinging his arms around Hiccup and pulling him into a hug.

“Oh, hey,” said Hiccup, struggling to keep up with all Hiro’s emotions. “Hey. I’m okay. I’m okay.” He put his arms around Hiro too.

Hiro pulled away and dropped his eyes to the ground, his face flushed with embarrassment. “Yeah, well. I hate to think what your tribe of Barbarians would do to me if they found out I let their Chief fall to his death.”

“I see,” said Hiccup, “You have your own interests at heart.”

“Exactly,” said Hiro. Hiccup’s face broke into a grin, and Hiro couldn’t help it – he found himself smiling back.  “I just flew a freaking dragon,” he said.

“How was it?” Hiccup asked.

“It was…” Flying, he decided, was like being a child again. Like being a child and running as fast as your legs can possibly take you, just for the fun of it. And even though he was breathing so hard his throat hurt, and his body was exhausted, his blood was singing _alive alive alive_. He searched his mind for the words to articulate this…this…well whatever this was. He shook his head helplessly.

“I know,” said Hiccup, and the way his said it, voice low, eyes shining, made Hiro feel like the two of them were sharing some kind of wonderful secret. He tilted his chin up to the heavens. “You could just get lost up there.”

“I don’t think that’s what it is,” Hiro said, thinking of how at-home Hiccup had seemed in the sky, even in the midst of a crisis. “I don’t think you lose yourself when you fly. I think you’re found.”

Hiccup looked too surprised to come up with and answer to that.

“Well,” he said after a while. “I guess we know you fixed the flight suit.”

“I guess so.” Hiro just had to put it back together again.

“So, you’re going home?” Hiccup asked.

“In the morning. Baymax needs to recharge.”

“I can’t imagine what it’s like,” Hiccup said, staring off thoughtfully. “The future.”

Hiro bit his lip. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he got the chance, a pair of women crested the hill and flung themselves at Hiccup so hard, Hiro was surprised the Viking managed to stay standing. It took him a second, because both of their faces were covered in soot, but Hiro recognised the pair as Astrid and Hiccup’s mother, Valka.

“We saw somebody jumping off his dragon into a burning building,” Valka was saying, “And I thought: I only know one person on this island who’s crazy enough to do something like that! And unfortunately it’s my son.”

Hiccup smiled sheepishly. “Mum, I swear, if you’d seen this dragon, you would’ve done the same thing,” he said imploringly.

“I know,” she said, cupping Hiccup’s face between her hands. “I just wish you didn’t take after me so much.” She smiled and let him go.

Hiccup turned to Astrid, who just straight-up punched him. _“Don’t do anything stupid, Astrid_ ” she said in a mocking tone. “And what do _you_ go and do?”

“Okay,” muttered Hiccup, rubbing his jaw, “Lesson learned.” He pointed at himself, “I’m the stupid one in this relationship.”

“Damn straight,” said Astrid. She rounded on Hiro. “You let him jump from that height?”

Hiro grimaced. He got the impression that nobody _let_ Hiccup do anything. “There wasn’t exactly time to hold a conference,” he replied dryly.

But Astrid was barely listening. She’d turned back to Hiccup and now seemed intent on kissing all the soot off his cheeks. “You really scared me…” she was saying between kisses.

Hiro decided it was time for him to go. Watching Astrid fuss over Hiccup was making his chest tight. “Well I’d better go find Baymax,” he said, making to leave.

Hiccup caught his arm. “Promise me something.”

“Anything,” Hiro said automatically. He frowned. “Within reason.”

Hiccup smiled. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

 


	9. ‘Reckless Behaviour’

Hiro sat alone in the dining hall, picking at his breakfast without enthusiasm. He was sort of waiting for Hiccup to arrive so they could say their goodbyes, but sort of hoping Hiccup wouldn’t show up so Hiro would have an excuse to stay on Berk a little longer.

A flash of auburn hair from outside caught Hiro’s eye and he turned to see Hiccup’s path being blocked by one of the Viking Elders. The old man was frowning as he spoke to Hiccup, and Hiro opened the window so he could hear their conversation.

“It’s starting, Hiccup,” the Elder was saying. “Perhaps you were too busy jumping from ridiculous heights and saving opposition to notice, but _the rest of us_ were busy fighting a battle up there!”

Hiccup flinched at the words.

“Yes, I heard about that little stunt you pulled last night. It’s bad enough that you feel the need to defend those creatures with your last breath, now you want to _be_ one as well?”

“Hey, I saved a _life_ because of those wings!” protested Hiccup, “I’m sorry if you’re too narrow-minded to realise that human lives are not the _only_ ones worth saving.”

“In a fight between humans and dragons, then _yes_ they’re the only ones worth saving!”

“Are you listening to yourself? We wouldn’t have stood a chance against the enemy dragons if we hadn’t had _our own_ dragons fighting with us!”

“We’ve stood on our own before, we can do it again.”

“But it doesn’t have to _be_ that way!” There was an edge of desperation to Hiccup’s voice now. “Listen, I’ve been in the woods all morning-”

“No, you listen, Hiccup! The other Elders and I are having a meeting to draw up a battle plan and it is your duty as Chief to give your input!”

“My input is that we should be _negotiating-”_

The Elder grabbed Hiccup by the shoulder. “Meeting room. Battle plan. Now.”

“But-”

“I’m not asking, Hiccup.”

Hiccup shot a final beseeching glance at the dining hall before letting himself be dragged away.

***

Hiro found Hiccup in Toothless’ clearing, as he knew he would. Baymax was suited up and holding the time portal. They had come to say goodbye.

“You’re off?” Hiccup asked when he caught sight of them. Hiro nodded.

“Um. Thanks. For saving me and Baymax last night,” he said.

“Are you kidding, I think _you_ saved the whole island,” said Hiccup.

Hiro smiled weakly. “I guess we’ll call it even then.”

“I guess,” agreed Hiccup.

They stood there for an awkward moment, looking at each other uncertainly.

“Well,” said Hiro eventually. “I’d better go.”

“Right,” said Hiccup. He clapped a hand on Hiro’s shoulder. “Well thank you again for what you did last night. We’d probably still be fighting if it wasn’t for-”

“Come with me.” The words were out of Hiro’s mouth before he could stop them.

“What?”

“You could come with me,” Hiro said, “to see San Fransokyo. You wanted to know what it’s like, right?” Hiccup nodded mutely. “Well then why don’t you come and see it? I can keep the portal trained on these space-time co-ordinates and you can move between here and there whenever you want,” Hiro told him.

The rational part of Hiro’s brain, the part that didn’t seem determined to latch onto Hiccup despite all his better judgement, was telling him to _shut the hell up_. This was not what he’d made the portal for; it was a fluke that he was here at all. But the irrational side felt like he wasn’t supposed to leave it like this. Not yet.

“I…” Hiccup hesitated. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. In the whole of time I’m sure you can find something more interesting than a rainy little island in the middle of the Wastelands.”

Hiro shrugged. “The portal’s just a prototype. I can make more.”

Hiccup chewed his lip. He was tempted, Hiro could tell. _Say yes_ , said the irrational side of Hiro’s mind. _Say no_ , said the rational side.

“When’s your next meeting?” Hiro asked.

“In two days,” replied Hiccup.

Hiro smiled. “You could see a lot in two days.”

Hiccup pushed his hands through his hair and sighed. “I just can’t, Hiro, I’m sorry. I’ve got to stay and-”

“Be Chief-like?” Hiro finished his sentence for him.

Hiccup smiled weakly. “Yeah. That. But hey, you’re always welcome to come back here,” he added. “If you’re lucky, we might not even shoot you down next time.”

“Thanks,” said Hiro, although he knew he wouldn’t take the offer. This was probably for the best anyway. “C’mon, Baymax.” He started to climb onto the robot’s shoulders.

“Wait.”

Hiro turned around. Hiccup was digging something out of his satchel. He flipped open a notepad, scribbled a note and tore out the page. He rolled it up and held it out to Toothless, who took it carefully between his jaws. “Take this to Astrid,” Hiccup told the dragon. “Or Mum. Whichever one you think will be less annoyed with me. Yeah, I know, tough call,” he added when Toothless narrowed his eyes. He stroked Toothless on the nose and looked back up at Hiro. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Hiro repeated. “ _Okay_ like you wanna come with me?”

Hiccup grinned. “Yeah.”

“Well,” said Hiro, a smile breaking out onto his face, “Okay.”


	10. San Fransokyo (and the wrath of Aunt Cass)

Hiccup and Hiro each held onto one of Baymax’s shoulders. When Hiro gave the word, Baymax rocketed upwards and both boys grabbed at his armour for a more secure grip, stomachs lurching. Hiccup’s hand landed on top of Hiro’s at the back of Baymax’ neck. Hiro tensed, but Hiccup didn’t move away. When the village’s huts were no more than a collection of tiny smudges below them, Hiro threw the spherical device straight upwards and Baymax followed its path. By the time they caught up to it, it was a gaping hole in the night-sky, violet and crackling. They let it swallow them up.

The air was forced out of Hiccup’s lungs and he felt as if a physical force was pressing down on them, preventing him from drawing breath. They were spiralling so wildly that Hiccup was sure he would be shaken off Baymax’ back. His fingers curled tightly round Hiro’s. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was dimly aware that he should probably find this embarrassing, but right now it felt like the only reliable thing he had to hold on to.

He barely had time to register all this before they were spat back out into the sky. Baymax sailed downwards and hit the ground with such force that now the boys really _were_ thrown off him. Hiccup ended up half on top of Hiro, gasping for breath. He lay there, panting, for a few seconds, their chests rising and falling in sync, before his brain caught up with the rest of him. Hastily, he pushed himself off Hiro and stumbled to his feet. “Sorry,” he mumbled, and waited for the heat in his cheeks to subside before removing his helmet.

Hiro got up slowly, slightly dazed. He took a few strides away from Hiccup and stooped to pick up the time-portal-sphere. He pulled off his helmet with one hand as he walked back to Hiccup, and with the other hand he tossed the sphere into the air and caught it again, grinning. “Welcome to San Fransokyo.”

***

Baymax had landed them just outside the Institute, so that’s where they headed first. Hiro led Hiccup to his team’s lab, where he was greeted by excited yelps and bone-crushing hugs. _“Three hours,_ Hiro!” squealed Honey-Lemon, pummelling her delicate fists into Hiro’s chest. “You were supposed to come back in _three hours!_ It’s been over three _days!_ ”

“I know, Honey, I’m sorry. There were…complications.”

“We were really worried about you, man,” said Wasabi, “We thought you’d got stuck in hyperspace or something. What took you so long?”

“It was my fault,” Hiccup piped up.

The others seemed to notice Hiccup’s presence for the first time. “Who’s your friend?” asked Gogo, slipping down from where she’d been perched on a desk. She was the only one who hadn’t rushed over to embrace Hiro when he’d entered the lab. He suspected her nonchalance was an act. Now Gogo came to stand next to Hiccup, looking him up and down without bothering to be subtle about it. “He’s cute,” she commented.

“He can _hear_ you,” Hiro told her, an edge to his voice. Gogo shrugged and blew a bubble with her chewing gum. “Everyone, this is Hiccup,” Hiro continued. “He’s a, um, Viking Chief.” The others all murmured introductions, eyeing Hiccup with intrigued expressions.

“So, Hiccup,” Gogo began, “When you say you were the reason Hiro couldn’t come home for a few days-”

“It’s kind of a long story,” Hiro cut in, “Or rather, it will probably take a long time to convince you. I’ll explain properly later, but basically Baymax’s flight suit got damaged and it took a few days to fix.”

“We thought something awful had happened!” Honey emphasised, her eyes wide.

“I’m sorry, okay, I am,” Hiro said impatiently, “But guys,” He help up the time-portal sphere, both it and his eyes gleaming, “It _worked_. I travelled to the Viking era!”

“And you brought one back with you to prove it,” noted Fred, nodding to Hiccup.

“Well, Hiccup wanted to see the city,” he explained, feeling oddly defensive. “He showed me around his village, so it seemed fair that-”

“I thought had to fix the flight suit?” Honey interjected.

“Yeah, I did,” said Hiro, “But-”

“But perhaps,” chimed in Gogo, “Hiccup was keeping you otherwise _occupied?”_

Hiro rolled his eyes, “He just showed me around the island, okay? So I thought I should show him around too.”

“I bet you did,” murmured Fred. Hiro glared.

“I just _meant_ ,” said Hiro, “I thought it would be a fitting way to thank him for his hospitality.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” drawled Gogo, still eyeing Hiccup, “that Hiccup has been wonderfully _hospitable,_ ” the way she said it made it sound like a different word. “Let me know if the same can be said for Hiro, won’t you?” she said to Hiccup, a perfect eyebrow arched and an amused smirk on her lips. The others at least had the decency to try to hide their smiles.  Hiccup averted his eyes and looked instead to Hiro, glad to see that he wasn’t the only one blushing, though he wasn’t entirely sure about the cause of his embarrassment.

“You guys suck,” Hiro muttered to his friends.

“Speaking of sucking…” Wasabi began.

“Do not,” warned Hiro, “say what you are about to say, or so help me, I will take this time-portal and I will shove it-”

“Okay, okay!” Honey cut in, waving her hands to silence the others. “We’re glad to have you back safe, anyway, that’s the main thing. Hiro, you better go and tell Cass you’re back, but how about we all meet back here tomorrow morning and you can tell us what happened. Without interruptions – right, guys?” She looked sternly around the room at their other team members.

“Spoil our fun,” grumbled Gogo, but she agreed along with the others and the six of them (plus Baymax) filed out of the university and went their separate ways home.

***

Hiccup followed Hiro out into the busy streets, which were leaving his a little awe-struck. Everything was so bright here, not just the sun beating down on them, but its rays bouncing and sparkling off every visible surface. Everything sleek and streamlined, everything clean and new. Beneath his awe though, something was tugging uncomfortably in the back of Hiro’s mind. Nobody knew about dragons around here. At some point between his time and Hiro’s, his beloved animals had become extinct. Did this mean that he would cave in and side with the other Vikings in the predicted war? Or perhaps, if he sided with the dragons, he’d be choosing the wrong side? Then what would happen to his tribe? He tried to push the thought from his mind. He a thousand years away from that right now.

“So,” Hiccup said, “Your friends seemed…nice.”

“Ohmygod, I’m so sorry about them!” Hiro blurted out. “I swear one of these days I’m going to kill them.”

Hiccup laughed. “It’s okay. We did just cause them three days of concern for your well-being; they probably earned the right to torment you just a little.”

“They don’t know how to do anything ‘just a little,’” grumbled Hiro. He stopped walking and hovered just outside the door of a building called _The Lucky Cat_. Through the glass walls, Hiccup could see that the ground floor was furbished as a café, but at present it wasn’t hosting any customers.

“This is where you live?” Hiccup asked.

“Yes,” said Hiro, eyeing the door nervously.

“So…should we go inside?”

“Yes…” said Hiro.

“I don’t see you moving.”

“I’m just bracing myself for the wrath of my aunt.”

“Ah,” said Hiccup, “You take your time, I’ll wait. Should I be bracing myself too?”

“Oh no, I expect you’ll be fine.” Hiro continued watching the door as if it was an angry guard-dog that might jump up and bite him at any second. He shuffled minutely closer to the building.

“It’s a very nice door,” Hiccup commented after a while. The corner of Hiro’s mouth twitched. “What if I just opened it for you?” Hiccup offered.

Hiro sighed. “Alright, alright, I’m done stalling. Let’s go.” He opened the door and led Hiccup inside. “Cass?” he called as he walked up the steps to the living room, “I’m home!”

“Hiro?” a woman’s voice called back from the upper floor, and a few seconds later, the voice’s owner appeared at the top of the stairs, looking down on Hiro with a furious expression.

“Uh-oh,” Hiro muttered to Hiccup, “She has the high ground. This isn’t going to be pretty.”

 _“Hiro Hamada!”_ Cass thundered, taking a couple of steps down the flight of stairs. “Where the _hell_ have you been?”

“Uh, the Viking era-”

“-I don’t want to hear it!” Cass cut in, “I don’t care where you were!”

“But you just said-”

“-I don’t care if you were in rainbow-land frolicking with baby unicorns!”

“Well there _were_ drag-”

“It was a rhetorical question, Hiro, learn to recognise them!” Cass crashed down another few stairs, “Do I look like I am anywhere _near_ done talking?”

“…Was that a rhetorical-”

“-Three days, Hiro! You disappear, with no warning, for _three days_ , and-”

“-Why does everyone feel the need to remind me how long-”

“-Three days!” Cass snapped again. “Do you think three days is a _normal_ length of time to disappear off the face of the earth? Don’t you think maybe three days of no sightings, no contact, no warnings would perhaps be a cause for _concern?_ ”

“I didn’t know I’d be-”

“Three days where I didn’t have a clue where you were or if you were safe! And your friends try to cover for you, but eventually I wear them down and it turns out that _they_ don’t really know where you are either! I’ve been pulling my own hair out here, Hiro! See that – on the floor there – that’s not Mochi’s hair – it’s mine! _Literal_ hair pulling! I swear, if you ever pull something like this again, I’ll-” She reached the bottom of the stairs, where Hiro was waiting for her, and her face crumpled. “I was so worried about you, Jelly bean!” she sobbed, throwing her arms around Hiro and clutching him tightly to her chest. “Gods, if anything happened to you – after Tadashi – I don’t know what I’d-”

“Shhh,” said Hiro soothingly, stroking her hair (well, the hair that she hadn’t pulled out yet anyway), “I know, Cass, I’m really sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Too right it won’t!” said Cass in a muffled voice, her face buried against Hiro’s shoulder. Finally she pulled away, holding Hiro at arm’s length and regarding him, as if checking for injury. “Are you alright? What happened to you?” Her eyes darted to Hiccup. “Oh, hello. Who’s this, Hiro – a friend of yours?” Her mood seemed to brighten considerably.

“Oh right, this is Hiccup,” said Hiro, extricating himself from Cass’s arms, “Hiccup, this is my aunt Cass.” Oddly, Cass’s questions and concerns seemed to melt away at the sight of Hiccup. She smiled warmly at him, told him he was welcome to stay as long as he wished, and then headed into the kitchen without another word on the matter other than: “You boys have fun!”

“Well she seems…keen,” Hiccup noted as Hiro led him up the stairs to his room.

“About me having friends? Yes she is. She’s probably doing her happy dance in the kitchen right now.”

“But you have friends,” said Hiccup, “I just met them.”

“Well yeah, but they were my brother’s friends first. She’s worried I don’t make the effort to make friends of my own. That’s why she let me off the hook so easily just now – she doesn’t want to scare you away. Here, let me take that,” he added, holding a hand out to take Hiccup’s bag.

Hiccup wanted to ask about Hiro’s brother – Tadashi, he gathered – but he suspected it was a sensitive topic, so he just said, “I think it would take a little more than an angry aunt to scare me away from you, Hiro.”

Hiro turned away at that point, to make space on the floor to dump Hiccup’s things, but not before Hiccup caught the beginnings of a blush creeping into Hiro’s cheeks.

***

“So where are we going?” Hiccup asked once they were outside again, trailing his hand over a silver railing.

“Hmm?” Hiro murmured distractedly. His eyes were fixed sort of wistfully on a point somewhere behind Hiccup’s head. Hiccup turned to follow his gaze but all he could see was a dark little alleyway between two buildings. “Oh,” Hiro’s eyes snapped back to Hiccup’s, “I thought we’d go to the main square,” he said, leading him in the opposite direction from where he’d been looking.

Hiccup followed him onto a sort of shuttle, which shot across a road-bridge the minute the door was closed, turning the river beneath them into a blur of silver-blue diamonds. On the other side of the water, their surroundings were such a contrast from what he’d seen of the city before, it was like stepping into a different time. Skyscrapers melted into smaller wooden buildings with curved rooves and adorned with red paper lanterns. Little stalls selling food or trinkets, and bearing Japanese calligraphy populated the streets.

“This is the Old Town,” Hiro explained, leading Hiccup deeper through the spider-web streets. “The city was built pretty much from the ground after, like, the mother-of-all earthquakes about a century ago, but they thought they’d keep a little piece of tradition here.”

They slipped through the narrow space between two buildings, and came out at the entrance to a sort of town-square, centred around a marble fountain twice Hiccup’s height. Thin rainbow-threads glittered where the sunlight hit the fountain’s spray. In the middle of the pool a statue of a slender woman stood, arms spread wide like a welcome.

“Here,” he said, dropping a silver coin into Hiccup’s hand, “Make a wish.”

Hiccup considered for a few seconds, watching the sunlight dance on the shifting surface of the water. Then he tossed the coin into the fountain, and watched it sink to join the thousand past wishes at the bottom. “Aren’t you going to make one too?” he asked.

Hiro shrugged, “She can’t bring back the dead.” He shook his head quickly then, like he could shake away his own words. “Sorry. Hey, we need to go to a supermarket. You have not yet experienced such culinary delights as Oreos and that matter needs to be rectified immediately.”

On their way into the shop, Hiro grabbed a trolley, pushed it in front of Hiccup, then got another one for himself. “Um – are we buying the shop’s _entire stock_ of Oreos or something?” Hiccup asked.

“And deprive everyone else of such an essential food group? Hiccup, I would _never_ be that selfish.” Hiro replied solemnly.

“Okay,” said Hiccup, “So why do we need two trolleys?”

“Oh, you’re not gonna need to put anything in yours,” Hiro told him.

“Then why-”

“So you can do _this,_ ” Hiro interrupted, pushing his own trolley at a run, before lifting his feet off the ground and letting its momentum carry him down the aisle. It was such a brilliantly juvenile thing to do that Hiccup was startled into laughter. Hiro rolled to a halt at the end of the isle and turned to smile at Hiccup. “Come along, Viking.” Hiccup rolled his eyes and followed suit. And okay, it was pretty fun, as far as modes of transport go.

They moved this way through the entire shop, Hiro grabbing items off the shelves at intervals and ignoring the tutting and disapproving glares directed their way. Once Hiro’s trolley looked like the ingredients list to diabetes, they paid and began making their way home.


	11. Bot-Fights

As the university building came into view again, Hiro’s gaze flitted back down the alley they’d passed earlier. “Alright,” said Hiccup, jerking his head towards the alley. “What’s down there?”

“What?” Hiro started, “Nothing. I mean, I don’t know - I’ve never had reason to go down there - why would I want to go down there?” He said all this very rapidly, his expression becoming increasingly flustered.

Hiccup regarded him sceptically. “I hope you know that was entirely unconvincing.” When Hiro didn’t offer any more information – just stood chewing his lower lip – Hiccup turned and took a couple of strides towards the mysterious alley.

“Wait!” Hiro said, grabbing Hiccup by the elbow and pulling him back round to face him. An odd, tingling sensation buzzed all the way up and down Hiccup’s arm.

“What’s down there?” he asked again, “You keep looking that way, you obviously know.”

Hiro glanced back down the alley. “I’m not supposed to go there anymore.”

“That sounds awfully like a confession to me.”

Hiro sighed. “It’s a bot-fighting club.”

“A what?”

“You can take your robots there to compete in fights, and people place bets on the winners and stuff.”

“Do you have a rampant gambling addiction I should know about?”

“No. I used to be a bot-fighter.”

“You got Baymax to fight other robots?” Hiccup half-laughed, trying to imagine the rotund robot throwing punches.

“Not Baymax,” said Hiro, “This was before his time. Although I wouldn’t get on the wrong side of him if I were you – his cuddliness is deceptive.”

“Is that right?”

“I’ve taught him a thing or two.”

Hiccup scoffed. “I’d like to see you fight anyone.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t exactly strike me as the rough type.”

“I can be rough,” protested Hiro indignantly.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow just to watch the colour rise in Hiro’s cheeks. The younger boy averted his gaze. Hiccup tried to keep the smirk off his face as he asked, “So what happened? Why aren’t you supposed to go back?”

“I, um, sort of got arrested,” Hiro mumbled.

Hiccup’s eyes widened. “You did?”

“It was a misunderstanding really.”

“Oh, I apologise most deeply, I take it _all_ back,” said Hiccup, lifting his hands as if in surrender. “I wasn’t aware I was talking to such a badass.”

Hiro scowled. “I sense mocking.”

Hiccup grinned. “Well I, for one would like to see one of these so-called bot-fights…”

“Hiccup, no…” Hiro sighed, though he could already feel that he was going to lose this argument.

“Hiccup yes.” Hiccup began walking backwards down the alley, eyes glinting in a challenge.

“Hiccup, no.”

Hiccup took another step. “Hiccup yes.”

“It’s illegal!” Hiro tried.

“Hah! We Vikings have no concept of law. Anarchy!” He had his back to Hiro now, half-way to the club’s entrance.

Hiro rolled his eyes. Hiccup was probably the most civilised Viking in existence. “That place is rough!” he warned.

“I’m a Barbarian, I’ll fit right in!” Hiccup called back.

“But still, you lack…city street smarts.”

Hiccup laughed and turned around to glance back at him, one eyebrow lifted. “So come protect me,” he said. Which, really. That was just unfair.

“Hiro, no,” Hiro whispered to himself. . . He sighed again. _Hiro yes_ , he thought resignedly as he hurried to catch up with Hiccup.

***

Hiccup looked pleased but not remotely surprised to see Hiro join him thirty seconds later in the dimly lit, purplish room, and Hiro grimaced at how easily Hiccup had turned him into a pushover. “We should’ve brought Baymax with us,” whispered Hiccup, looking around with interest. “He could showcase his dubious fighting skills.”

“I’ll remember that next time I let a Viking talk me into a legally questionable activity - oh wait, there’s not going to _be_ a next time,” replied Hiro, but even as he spoke he could feel the familiar rush of adrenaline filling his veins. The feeling was bittersweet; the last time he’d been here, Tadashi had still been alive. He wouldn’t approve of Hiro being here now.

Hiccup grinned. “We’ll see.”

“You boys competing?” a thoroughly tattooed man asked them, sizing them up.

“No, we’re just-”

“Sure,” Hiro spoke over Hiccup. When Hiccup glanced at him quizzically, Hiro shrugged. “We might as well do the thing properly.”

“No Baymax, remember?”

“He’s not my only robot,” replied Hiro, waving a dismissive hand. He pulled a grey band out of his pocket and placed it round his head.

Hiccup smirked at him, “Cute.”

Hiro blushed. “Shut up. I’m trying to concentrate.”

“What are you doing?”

“Calling reinforcements.” Hiro closed his eyes.

Hiccup looked at him curiously for a minute before the doors of the club burst open. For a second it seemed as if the room was flooding, but on closer inspection, the wave turned out to be made up of a thousand tiny cylinders of metallic-grey. They rose as a swarm into the air and hovered in the centre of the room, gently rotating, silently challenging an opponent to step forward.

Nonplussed, a guy in his early twenties stepped up to the fighting ring with a hulking robot twice his size, adorned with numerous spikes. He nodded at Hiro, accepting the fight. Hiro nodded back, jaw set.

“Not to be discouraging,” Hiccup leaned over and whispered to Hiro, “But his looks scarier than yours.” Without warning, Hiro’s microbots dived to the floor, but by the time they reached it, Hiccup was no longer looking at a shapeless mass, but a dragon, snarling at the robot through razor- sharp teeth. _Toothless._

“How about now?” grinned Hiro, glancing at Hiccup’s stunned expression out of the corner of his eye.

“How did you…” Hiccup didn’t finish his sentence. Microbot-Toothless launched itself at the robot and started pulling its screws undone. Every time the robot took a swipe, the microbots would morph into a new shape: they were Baymax; they were a sword-wielding Hiccup; they were Toothless again; they were Hiro and Hiccup riding Toothless. Hiccup watched in awe as the beast of a robot was gradually torn to pieces.

The shouting and jeering in the room had been silenced; everyone was captivated by the skinny kid with the shape-shifting robot. Applause broke out from all sides, but Hiro was only looking at Hiccup, silently asking if he was impressed yet.

“That was insane!” Hiccup squeezed Hiro’s shoulders excitedly, and Hiro’s heart almost tripped over itself. The microbots slipped out of their formation and clattered to the floor in a cascade of silver-grey. Hiccup turned back around, surprised, “What happened?”

“Nothing,” muttered Hiro, embarrassed. “You distracted me.” He slipped the headband from his head and handed it to Hiccup. “Here, you try.”

Hiccup pushed it onto his own head (trust him to make any kind of ridiculous attire look like a fashion statement) and looked at Hiro questioningly. From behind him, the microbots swept themselves back up into formation. “What do I do?”

Hiro smiled. “Turn around,” he told Hiccup, who did so. “See, right now they’re just you and me as we are. They’ll follow your thoughts. Just imagine what you want to happen, and they’ll do it.” Hiccup directed his concentration to the microbots until they shifted to provide Microbot-Hiccup with a sword. Microbot-Hiccup poked Microbot-Hiro experimentally with his sword, and Microbot-Hiro disintegrated into a puddle of silver. “Hey!” yelped the real Hiro indignantly.

“Sorry,” Hiccup laughed. He grabbed Hiro’s shoulders again and Hiro felt like _he_ might disintegrate too. “This is amazing,” Hiccup grinned. He looked so much like an excited puppy just then that Hiro decided to forgive the stabbing incident.

Microbot-Hiccup and Microbot-Hiro linked hands, raised their arms and bowed, eliciting another round of applause from the crowd. “Alright,” Hiccup conceded. “I apologise for ever doubting you.”

Hiro was barely listening. The microbot versions of themselves were still holding hands.

 

*

Of course, it was just Hiro’s luck that they would bump into his so-called friends on their way out of the club.

“Dragging each other down dark alleys now, are we?” asked Wasabi, his face splitting into a sly grin the moment he caught sight of the two of them.

“Dude,” Hiro pleaded, cheeks reddening, _“Enough.”_

“Aww, kiddo, we’re only just warming up,” smirked Gogo, placing one hand around Hiro’s shoulders and ruffling his hair with the other. He ducked away from her.

Honey cleared her throat. “Hiro, isn’t that the entrance to the bot club you’re _banned from?”_ she pointed out, frowning.

“Um…”

“You took him to the bot-club?” whined Fred.

“Man, we’ve been nagging him to take us for, like, _forever_ ,” complained Wasabi. “Hiccup asks _once,_ and it’s all, _‘sure Hiccup, anything for you Hiccup.’”_

“Guys!” chided Honey. “That is _so_ not the point! Hiro, you could’ve gotten into serious trouble! You could’ve gotten _Hiccup_ in trouble - did you even think about that?”

Hiro listlessly examined the ground beneath his shoes while he contemplated the overrated-ness of friends. “Actually,” he heard Hiccup interject from behind him, “It was my fault. I practically dragged him in there.”

“Aha!” exclaimed Wasabi, “So there _was_ dragging involved!” Hiro kicked Wasabi not-very-surreptitiously in the shin, which did not deter him from saying to Hiccup, “Dude, nobody persuades this kid to do _anything._ He must think you’re pretty special.”

Honey continued lecturing Hiro for the next five minutes about not ‘slipping back into a dangerous habit’ and ‘what would Tadashi say?’ and she insisted on escorting them back to Hiro’s house because they couldn’t be trusted to ‘keep themselves out of trouble.’

Hiccup wasn’t really paying attention. He kept hearing Wasabi’s words in his head: _He must think you’re pretty special._

***

“Okay, well, I hope you’re comfortable. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything,” said Hiro that night as they got ready for bed.

“Wait, you’re sleeping downstairs?” Hiccup asked.

“Yeah, you sleep here, I’ll take the sofa.”

“What?” Hiccup frowned. “No, I’m not kicking you out of your own bed! I’ll take the sofa.”

“Um, no,” protested Hiro, “You are a guest in my house, and you are going to sleep in a bed.”

Cass, standing in the doorway, watched this argument go on for a couple more cycles before clearing her throat. The boys turned to look at her. “Hiro,” she said, “you do realise you have a double bed, right?”

Hiro blinked. “I…Yes, but I don’t think…I’m sure Hiccup would rather…” He trailed off and looked at Hiccup for back-up.

“Take the sofa and let you sleep in your own bed?” Hiccup finished the sentence for him. “Yes, Hiccup would rather do that.”

“No,” Hiro said, exasperated. “I want you to have the bed!”

“Well I want you to have it.”

“Guys, seriously,” Cass piped up, “I can think of a solution that will let you both have your way: it’s called a double bed! Oh, would you look at that – that’s exactly the kind of bed you have, Hiro! See, one person sleeps on this side,” – she motioned to one half of the bed – “and the other person sleeps on this side,” – she motioned to the other half – “I know it’s a complicated concept, but you’re smart boys, you’ll figure it out.” With that, she left the room, shaking her head in exasperation.

Hiro fixed his gaze on the duvet as he said, “Don’t mind her - you don’t have to…just, I’ll be downstairs, okay?”

“It’s not like I’d mind,” said Hiccup quietly.

“What?” Hiro was startled into looking up at Hiccup.

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck and cast his eyes down. “I mean, I’m not going to let you sleep on the sofa, but if you still _insisted_ I should sleep in a bed, it’s not like I’d _mind_ sharing with you,” said Hiccup

“Oh.” Hiro blushed. “I - It’s not like _I’d_ mind sharing with _you.”_

“Well, alright then.”

“Um. Alright then.”

They stood there, facing each other but not really _looking_ at each other, for a long moment. Hiro was relieved when Hiccup went to retrieve his bag from the corner of the room and started rummaging through it for clothes to sleep in. He went to his wardrobe to gather his pyjamas too. He changed quickly and turned back to face Hiccup, who was now wearing a different shirt, and an apprehensive expression.

“What’s wrong?” Hiro asked. “Honestly, I can sleep downstairs if you’d rather have the bed to your-”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Hiccup broke in hurriedly.

“Then, what?”

Hiccup bit his lip. “Just – don’t freak out, okay?”

“Okay…?” said Hiro.

“I may have a minor, _teensy_ little injury,” Hiccup said.

“What kind of injury?”

“The leg kind,” said Hiccup. Hiro remembered Hiccup’s limp as they’d trudged through the woods. He’d never got around to asking him about it.

“Injured in what way?” he asked.

“Oh, you know,” said Hiccup airily, “In the way that half of it’s missing.”

Hiro’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh. So, very minor then. Barely worth mentioning, really.”

“Right.”

“How’d it happen?”

“Dragon,” said Hiccup.

“Oh, I see. Leg bitten off by a dragon. Standard, standard.”

“Big bad dragon,” Hiccup clarified, “Not a Toothless sort of dragon.”

“Evidently,” agreed Hiro.

“I’m going to take my shoes off now,” warned Hiccup.

“Okay.”

“Don’t freak out.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” muttered Hiccup. Slowly, he reached down and removed his boot, revealing not a foot, but a wooden stump with a curved, metal base. He kept his eyes cast down, waiting for Hiro’s response.

“You have a _wooden leg.”_

“Don’t freak out!” pleaded Hiccup.

“You have an _actual_ wooden leg.”

“I told you not to freak out,” Hiccup sighed.

“That is…kind of amazing!” Hiccup looked up to see an excited grin spreading across Hiro’s face. The tension eased from his shoulders. “So you’re like a Viking-hero-warrior- _pirate!_ ” Hiro continued, looking thoroughly impressed.

“I did actually do a pirate-training course when I was thirteen,” Hiccup admitted, his lips twitching in spite of himself as he finished getting changed.

Hiro switched off the lights except for a bed-side lamp and took one side of the bed, leaving as much space for Hiccup as possible. Hiccup joined him a moment later, and the boys lay on their respective edges of the bed for a few seconds, watching each other. “Um, well, sweet dreams,” Hiro muttered eventually, rolling over to turn off the lamp.

“Good night, Genius-boy,” Hiccup murmured. 


	12. Baymax’s Diagnosis

Hiro was the first to wake, his bedroom dimly lit with sunlight reaching around the edges of his curtains. He rolled over, a thrill running through him when he found himself almost nose-to-nose with a sleeping Hiccup. He could count the freckles on his cheeks if he wanted to.

Hiro didn’t know how long he lay there, sleepily scrutinising Hiccup’s features, from his long eyelashes skimming his cheekbones to the little white scar on his chin. Probably too long. He lost count of how many times his eyes drifted to Hiccup’s slightly parted lips. Definitely too many times. He started in surprise when he shifted his gaze back up to Hiccup’s eyes and found them open. He didn’t appear at all bothered to have woken up to Hiro’s face mere inches from his own. Hiro, predictably, blushed.

“Morning,” said Hiccup, one side of his mouth curving up into a smile.

“Morning,” Hiro echoed. Should he move? He should probably move. Hiccup propped his elbow up on his pillow and rested his head against his hand. His hair stuck up in messy spikes and Hiro had to fight the urge to smooth it down for him. _Ugh, this is bad._

“So, what did you dream about?” Hiccup asked, eyes glittering cheerfully.

The question both surprised and embarrassed Hiro. “Oh, um, nothing,” he mumbled, “I always forget my dreams.” _Very bad._

“I don’t believe you,” replied Hiccup immediately. He raised an accusing finger to point at Hiro, and tapped him lightly on the nose. “You’re hiding something.”

Hiro scrunched up his nose and snuggled his face back into his pillow, out of Hiccup’s reach. “What did _you_ dream about?” he retorted, his voice muffled.

“Not telling,” Hiccup taunted, “If _you’re_ not going to share, _I’m_ not going to share either. You know, it’s a shame, because it was a really _great_ dream.”

“Dragons,” said Hiro, not really a question.

Hiccup scowled. “What makes you say that?”

Hiro smirked. “Like you don’t dream about dragons ninety-five percent of the time.”

“How do you know this dream didn’t fall into the other five percent?”

“Did it?” Hiro asked.

“No,” Hiccup admitted. He sat up, stretching his arms up above his head, stray spots of sunlight dancing across his limbs. Pushing a hand over his hair – and somehow managing to make it messier – he grinned down at Hiro and said, “So Genius-boy, what’s the plan for today?”

“Okay, what’s with the ‘Genius-boy’ thing?”

“You don’t like?” asked Hiccup. “I guess I’ll have to think of something better. I hear you answer to _‘jelly bean’?”_ he added with a smirk.

Hiro grimaced. “Only if you’re related to me. Besides, what’s wrong with just my _name?”_

“What’s wrong with just _my_ name?” countered Hiccup.

Hiro tilted his head. “Do you actually want me to answer that?”

“Hey!” Hiccup seized Hiro’s pillow, pulled it out from under his head and dropped it back onto Hiro’s face, muffling the younger boy’s laughter. “It’s a family name! A name of great prestige!”

“Well a family would _have_ to be prestigious to get away with calling their child _Hiccup,”_ Hiro pointed out, wrestling the pillow away from Hiccup. “For anyone else it would probably be illegal. _”_

“And how optimistic your family was with _your_ name,” retorted Hiccup, ducking away from Hiro’s pillow-swipe. “Hoping it would be self-fulfilling and you’d turn out to be a glorious hero?”

“Hiro with an ‘I’. It means generous and tolerant!”

“Oh, so definitely not self-fulfilling then,” said Hiccup.

“How dare you!” Hiro raised the pillow again. “I am generous, tolerant _and_ a hero, thank you very much.”

“Uh-huh,” Hiccup said, and received a pillow to the face. He wrapped his arms around it and wrenched it away from Hiro’s grip.

“Dude, your name means _spasm_ ,” Hiro pointed out, yelping as the pillow skimmed his cheek.  “And you want to talk about self-fulfilling?” He pushed the pillow off his face and grinned impishly.

Hiccup’s eyes turned wary. “What are you-” Hiro’s hands snapped out to Hiccup’s sides, digging into matching pressure points between his ribs. Hiccup shrieked and rolled away.

“Consider yourself fulfilled, Viking,” said Hiro smugly.

When Hiccup surfaced from behind the duvet, his expression spelled out a challenge. “Oh, you want to play that game?” Hiro barely had time to brace himself before Hiccup launched a merciless bout of tickling upon him. He recoiled, desperately trying to catch his breath between laughter, but Hiccup followed him over to his side of the bed, not letting up for a second. Hiro retaliated, both boys twisting and aching with laughter, until they rolled right off the bed, landing with a rattling thump, and Hiccup found himself on top of Hiro for the second time since arriving in San Fransokyo.

Hiccup relented, his hands falling still at Hiro’s sides. Hiro’s shirt had ridden up so Hiccup was touching bare skin. Hiro stared up at him, frozen. “Are you okay?” Hiccup asked. “Are you hurt?”

Hiro swallowed. He needed Hiccup to get off him, or things were about to get uncomfortable. “I’m fine,” he said breathlessly. “I do seem to have a Viking on top of me though.”

“Right,” said Hiccup. He stood, taking Hiro’s hands and pulling him up with him. “So, as I was saying before _somebody_ got us side tracked…”

Hiro mimed zipping his mouth closed into an angelic smile, and drew a halo in the air above his head.

“Thank you,” said Hiccup, “As I was saying, what are we going to do today?”

Hiro blinked at him placidly.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. “You can talk now.”

“Thank you. Well, I’m supposed to meet the others at the Institute, to explain the whole ‘hey, dragons exist!’ thing.” Hiro hesitated, “It would be easier if you come along too, actually, but you don’t have to if you don’t want - I know they can be a bit…um, much.”

“Please,” Hiccup shrugged, “Have you _met_ the people in my village? They’re _very_ much – extremely much. Your friends are positively delightful compared to them.”

“So, you…wanna come with?”

“Yeah, of course.”  Hiro’s face broke into a smile. Hiccup noticed that when Hiro smiled – his real smile, not the distracted substitute he sometimes offered – a dimple appeared on one side of his chin.

“Awesome,” Hiro said, “We’ll go after breakfast.” His eyes flashed with sudden inspiration. “I’m gonna make you _waffles_ ,” he announced, in a tone that suggested waffles (whatever they were, Hiccup thought) were about to be the most exciting thing that had happened to him that week – and that was saying something considering all that had happened in the last few days.

“You’re gonna make what, now?” Hiccup asked.

Hiro brushed the question aside; his eyes had lit up again. “ _Blue_ waffles!” he decided, and began bounding towards the door.

On his way out, he laid a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder. “Thank you,” Hiro said quietly, “for coming with me.”

***

“You’re it.” Hiccup, perched on the edge of Hiro’s bed, looked up from the book resting on his lap as Hiro padded into the room, freshly showered and smelling of something sweet and citrusy. Hiccup took the fluffy towel Hiro was holding out towards him and stood up to go take his turn in the shower, leaving his book on the bed. “What’s this?” Hiro asked, running a finger along the book’s leather cover.

“That’s everything I know about dragons,” Hiccup explained, “I’ve been keeping a record since I was fifteen. Thought it might be useful to help explain everything to your friends.”

Hiro sat down where Hiccup had just been and began flipping through the parchment-pages, running delicate fingers over Hiccup’s frantic scrawls and detailed drawings. “This is…”

“Obsessive?” Hiccup suggested with a small, self-depreciating smile.

Hiro shook his head, “I was gonna say ‘incredible.’”

Cass appeared in the doorway holding a pile of folded clothes. “Tadashi’s old clothes should fit you, Hiccup.” She held them out to Hiccup. He thanked her and took the clothes to the bathroom with him.

Hiro, meanwhile, headed down into the kitchen, where Baymax was waiting for him. “Hiro,” he said, stepping forwards, “I have been monitoring your symptoms over the past couple of days and I have noticed some patterns, particularly when Hiccup is present.”

Hiro grabbed a large bowl from the cupboard. “Baymax, I’m completely fine now, what are you talking about?” he demanded, although he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly what Baymax was talking about.

“It is true, as you say, that most of the time you are completely fine. However, whenever Hiccup is near you, there are certain irregularities in your heart rate,” – Baymax pulled up a chart on his screen – “breathing rate” – another chart – “and perspiration” – yet another chart. “All these symptoms in conjunction to a particular person would point towards physical attraction.”

“Oookay,” Hiro said, turning his back on the robot and cracking eggs into the bowl. “I am not having this conversation with you.”       

“Furthermore,” Baymax continued, undeterred, “I have deduced that you are 30% more likely to say something stupid in the presence-”

“-You just made that figure up!-”

“-of Hiccup, and are almost guaranteed to struggle with speech at some point in a conversation with him, which is alarmingly unlike you,” Baymax commented.

“Well that’s just - wait, you measure how much I _sweat?”_

“Yes, Hiro, try to keep up,” Baymax berated him. “Additionally-”

“No, no, no _additionally!_ I don’t want to hear any m-”

“-since meeting Hiccup, you seem to have been spending significantly more time, quote, ‘ _thinking_ ,’ which is also alarmingly unlike you.”

“I’m not - hey!”

“Finally, I know for a fact that you have a dead daisy chain in your pocket right now which you would happily have discarded by now if it hadn’t been made by Hiccup.”

“That’s not…I’m not…” He couldn’t really argue with the robot.

“That’s not even the outfit you were wearing the day he gave it to you,” Baymax emphasised. “You specifically took it _out_ of the pocket of those clothes so you could put it _into_ the pocket of today’s clothes.”

“So I checked my pockets,” Hiro protested, returning his attention to his waffle mixture. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Hiro, I must have seen you lose thirty dollars to the washing machine.” Hiro blinked. He couldn’t argue with that either. “In conclusion,” Baymax said, “It would appear that you are experiencing what you humans refer to as a ‘ _crush.’_ ”

“I am _not_ experiencing a crush!”

“Hey.” Hiro stifled a gasp and wheeled around to face Hiccup, half-a-dozen utensils clattering to the floor. Hiccup was peeking around the door-frame, his hair dark and curling slightly in its damp state. He was wearing black jeans and a grey sweatshirt that fit snugly round his chest. “So, how do I look - sufficiently normal?” He stepped into the room so Hiro could see him properly.

Hiro hesitated. Honestly he looked gorgeous, like always, but seeing Hiccup in Tadashi’s clothes was…confusing. “You’ll do,” he said eventually. “Uh…how long have you been standing there?”

“Why?” Hiccup smirked, pushing himself off the door frame and walking into the room. “Talking about me?” He leaned down to prop his elbows on the island so he was looking across at Hiro with eyebrows raised.

“I…we were just…” Hiro stuttered.

Hiccup stood up straight again and laughed. “Relax, Hiro, I was joking.”

“Oh, right. Hah,” Hiro muttered feebly.

“Increased clumsiness,” Baymax said softly from behind him. Hiro elbowed him to shut him up.

“So,” said Hiccup, walking round the island to stand on Hiro’s side, “I see you have begun the waffle-making process.” He bent down to retrieve the wooden spoon Hiro had dropped. “Need any help?” Their fingers brushed as Hiro took the spoon back.

“Accelerating heart rate,” Baymax noted.

“Yes!” Hiro said quickly, in an attempt to drown out Baymax. “Can you look in that cupboard over there for blue food colouring?”

“Sure,” Hiccup complied.

“Irregular breathing,” Baymax commented.

“ _Ohmygod_ , Baymax, would you stop that?” Hiro rounded on Baymax.

Baymax affected innocence and tilted his head. “Are you satisfied with your care?”

“ _No_ ,” Hiro muttered through gritted teeth, “I am very _unsatisfied_ with my care. But I’m asking you. To shut. Up. Please.”

“Of course, Hiro,” Baymax said pleasantly, and wandered away.

***

On the way out of the house, Hiro looked down at Hiccup’s feet pointedly and said, “Hey Viking, I think you might’ve lost a shoe.”

“I didn’t lose it, it’s just easier to walk on this leg without it,” Hiccup said, gesturing to his wooden leg. “Now that you know about it, I might as well.”

“Wait, so…you normally just wear one? You’ve just been wearing the other one for my benefit all this time?”

“Well…yeah.” Hiccup admitted. “I didn’t want to, like, freak you out or anything.” He gestured to his miss-matched feet and asked, “Is this going to be weird?”

Hiro felt oddly flattered. “No problem, Cinderella,” he said, leading the way outside.

Hiccup stared blankly as he fallowed. “Cinder-what now?”

“You don’t know Cinderella?” Hiccup shook his head. “Snow White?” Hiro tried.

 “Well…we do get a lot of snow on Berk, and it _is_ known for being white…”

“No, no, it’s a fairy tale. How about Rapunzel?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Rumpelstiltskin?”

“Now you’re just making up words.”

“You really have no idea what I’m talking about?” Hiccup shook his head again. “Jesus Christ,” said Hiro.

“Him I’ve heard of.”

“Your childhood is so deprived. What do you Vikings tell stories about?”

“Slaying dragons,” replied Hiccup. “And other tales of doing foolish things for macho glory. Is that not what Hiro-era people tell stories about?”

“Well, sometimes,” admitted Hiro.

“And the rest of the time?”

Hiro grinned. “Magic.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in witchcraft?”

“We don’t. The point of stories isn’t that you believe them, it’s for entertainment.”

“Oh. And here I was thinking the point was self-indulgent bragging,” mused Hiccup.

“Right, that’s it,” decided Hiro. “I am educating you in fairy tales. Today shall be a day of Disney films.”

“I look forward to it, whatever-it-means,” said Hiccup as they climbed the steps to the Institute’s entrance.

The others were already waiting for them around a table in the lab when they arrived. “Alright, Hiro,” said Gogo, drumming her claw-like nails on the table expectantly. “You’d better have a good excuse ready.”

“Yeah, you’ve had all night to come up with one,” added Fred.

“Hah,” scoffed Wasabi, “That’s _not_ what they were doing all night.”

“ _Ohmygod_ , know when to stop,” muttered Hiro hollowly, dropping into his seat.

“Don’t mind them,” Honey smiled at Hiccup as he sat down next to her. She rolled her eyes at her friends. “They all find themselves far too amusing,” she added pointedly. To Hiro, she asked, “So what did take you so long?”

“Hiccup’s dragon,” said Hiro. Hiro’s friends exchanged puzzled glances.

“Seriously?” Honey asked Hiccup after a pause, “There are _dragons_ where you come from?”

“Yup,” said Hiccup. He placed his book on the table, and Hiro flicked through the pages until he reached the sketches of Toothless.

“So the portal worked alright,” said Hiro, “But the minute we arrived, we ran into – well, _flew_ into – Hiccup and his dragon, and the dragon panicked, and he shot us down. And that’s why I had to fix the flight suit.”

His friends looked around at each other dubiously. “Hey, robots can’t lie, can they?” Wasabi asked Hiro.

“Uh, no…why?” said Hiro.

“Yo, Baymax,” Wasabi addressed the robot, who was standing by the door. “Are these guys for real?” Baymax blinked at him.

“Hang on,” said Hiro, hopping off his stool and walking over to Baymax, “I need to un-mute him.”

“Why did you mute him?”

“He was making unnecessary diagnoses,” Hiro muttered, flipping one of the robot’s switches. “There.”

“Affirmative,” Baymax said to Wasabi and the others. “The Toothless dragon shot fire at us. Baymax went _boooooooooom!_ ”

“He’s toothless?” asked Gogo, examining the sketch in Hiccup’s book.

Hiro joined them back at the table. “Sometimes,” he answered, and grinned at Hiccup. 

Hiro’s team, slowly accepting his story, broke into excited chatter, flipping through Hiccup’s book and gazing at his drawings in amazement. Fred was deliriously happy, screaming that he’d known all along that dinosaurs had really been dragons, and running circuits around the room, flapping his arms violently.  Hiro leaned over to Hiccup. “This should keep them off our case for a while,” he said. “Come on, I need to educate you.”

***

“And so begins your introduction to Disney films,” said Hiro, spreading his extensive DVD collection across the bed. “What do you want to watch first?”

Hiccup picked one up and held it out for Hiro’s inspection. “This one has a dragon in it,” he said. It was _Sleeping Beauty_.

“Meh, not Disney’s best,” said Hiro.

Hiccup set the film aside and scanned the pile again. He held up another and this time Hiro nodded his approval. “This girl reminds me of Astrid,” Hiccup said as he passed the DVD to Hiro.

Hiro ducked his head to study the cover. He supposed Rapunzel did look rather like Astrid: pretty…and blonde…and wide-eyed…and kind of annoying really…and what did she need all that swishy hair for anyway? “Sure,” Hiro said, “This one’s good.”

They made a nest on the bed out of pillows and blankets and Hiro keenly watched Hiccup’s face as they watched film after film (Hiccup cried at all the sad parts. Which was adorable.) and tried all the different types of food Hiro had picked out at the shop yesterday. They ended up watching movies and drinking hot chocolate late into the night, and when their eyelids grew heavy, they curled up like cats and sank into the soft sheets with Disney soundtracks singing them to sleep.

Last night the boys had fallen asleep on the very edges of the bed, desperately trying not to invade the other’s personal space; tonight they slept with their limbs tangled together in glorious, boyish mess.


	13. The Romantics

It was Monday, which meant Hiro had school that morning. It was stupid, really. He’d blown through science and maths at lightning speed – which was all he really needed - and he was fluent in Japanese. Cass had been fine with him skipping straight to university, but that was before Tadashi died.

Hiro didn’t really make friends with kids his age – what was the point? He was so much more advanced than the rest of them anyway. Besides, he only ever wanted to spend time with Tadashi’s old friends. It was the best way to feel close to him. Sometimes a member of the team would say something Tadashi used to say that one of them had obviously picked up from the other, and for just a second it would be like Tadashi was still here.

But one day Cass got worried – said what Hiro was doing was unhealthy. He needed to make his own friends, she told him, needed to live his own life, not carry on living Tadashi’s for him. So now she was getting him to carry on with some of his high school classes with his own year group: history (which was okay, he supposed) and English (which was awful). He didn’t argue with Cass - he didn’t want her to be concerned about him. And sure, he was friendly, and the other kids were fine, but he kept them all at a distance. He couldn’t help it. None of them understood what it was like to lose their brother. And he didn’t want to talk about his feelings. Didn’t want to look at them too closely.

In fact, he didn’t know quite when it happened, but at some point, he’d started channelling Baymax, with all the appearances of being perfectly polite and amiable but essentially unfeeling. Like somebody had removed his emotional chip. It was better this way, he told himself, because it meant he wouldn’t miss Tadashi so badly. He’d be less likely to do something stupid.

Anyway, there was one advantage to taking the classes. This summer, the Institute was offering their students a chance to showcase projects and the winner would receive funding to develop it. Hiro’s team had decided to enter, but Hiro had to be qualified across all subjects to be eligible. So, back to high school it was.

Hiro dropped Hiccup back at Berk for the morning, and spent the next two hours in class doodling dragons in his margins and willing the hands of his watch to tick faster.

***

It was Monday, which meant Hiccup had a meeting that morning. It was stupid, really. This whole _Vikings versus Dragons_ thing. Couldn’t the Elders see that if they could just stop shooting at each other for two seconds, they could negotiate instead?

Despite the circumstances though, the meeting didn’t faze him the way they usually did. He was barely there. He sat mutely as the Elders went over their usual lecture, but in his mind he was in San Fransokyo fighting robots and watching movies with Hiro.

***

The smile that lit up Hiccup’s face when he saw Hiro entering the barn inflated a warm, soft bubble inside Hiro’s chest. He felt as if he’d won some kind prize. “Hey!” Hiccup exclaimed, and within an instant he had joined Hiro by the door and met him with a hug that knocked the breath from Hiro’s lungs. Even through his shirt, Hiro’s skin felt all tingly where Hiccup’s hands pressed against his back.

When Hiccup pulled away, looking flustered, Hiro offered him a one-sided smile. “Were you worried I wouldn’t come back?”

 _“No,”_ muttered Hiccup, ducking his head and choosing this moment to conveniently turn around to search for something among the rubble of his workbench.

“Hiccup,” said Hiro. Without thinking about what he was doing, he poked Hiccup on the shoulder and ran his finger down the length of his arm. Hiccup jumped, apparently startled into turning back to him. His head was still tilted down so he had to look up through his lashes at Hiro. His cheeks were turning pink beneath his freckles. Which was adorable. Damn him for being so adorable.

“Not _really,_ ” clarified Hiccup, “But, I don’t know, you have the whole of time available to you. I thought, maybe, you’d get bored of…” He trailed off and dropped his eyes to the floor. God, this Viking was an idiot. A really _adorable_ idiot.

“Hey,” Hiro ran his finger back up Hiccup’s arm, making Hiccup shiver. “Not gonna happen.”

Hiccup’s gaze flicked back up to meet his, the beginnings of a smile curving up his mouth. His stupid, pretty mouth. “No?” asked Hiccup.

“Nope,” said Hiro. He wanted to say more, to give Hiccup some kind of reassurance, but he was struggling to find the words because he was just now realising how absurdly important Hiccup had become to him these past few days. And then he knew he was in way above his head because he had just realised that he really, really wanted to kiss Hiccup. Like, right now.

Which, of course, was the moment that Astrid chose to enter the room and remind Hiro of her existence, making Hiro feel like pretty much the worst person ever. He stepped away from Hiccup quickly, arms folded tightly across his chest. When Astrid said hello to him, he directed his answer to the floor, as if worried she would see what he’d been thinking if he made eye contact.

He was relieved when Hiccup caught his eye and asked him if he wanted to go back to San Fransokyo.

***

“Ugh,” Hiro proclaimed eloquently as he flopped face-first onto his bed. They’d really stayed up way too late last night and he was exhausted. Hiccup, on the other hand was positively buzzing. Something about this place felt electric.

“Nice day at school?” Hiccup asked, looking down at Hiro with amusement.

“They gave me homework,” Hiro complained.

 _“No,”_ gasped Hiccup, “How could they?”

Hiro lifted his head just enough to peer at Hiccup through his hair. “Viking, I don’t think you’re taking my suffering very seriously.”

Hiccup suppressed a smile. “I’m sorry. What do you have to do?”

Hiro made a production of dragging his heavy limbs off the bed and over to his schoolbag. He drew out a thin book. “I have to read _this,_ ” he said, flinging the book down onto the bed like it had personally offended him.

Hiccup sat cross-legged on the corner of the bed (Hiro had already resumed the starfish position across the rest of it) and picked the book up. “Poetry?”

“The _Romantics_ ,” Hiro said with contempt. “They were a bunch of pretentious emo kids” – at this, Hiccup coughed and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _‘hypocrite’_ – “who sat around all day thinking about death, and cheated on their wives, and slept with their sisters and other weird shit.”

Hiccup started flipping through the pages, smiling vaguely at Hiro’s rambling. “You know, there aren’t actually that many poems here. It shouldn’t take that long.”

Hiro shifted his head to rest on one cheek so he could look at Hiccup. “Are you going to give me a dramatic reading?”

“Yup. I may even throw in an interpretive dance if you’re lucky.” Hiro giggled, and a light, warm feeling flooded Hiccup’s chest.

“Oh, so you _do_ remember how to smile.” Hiccup said, pleased.

“Only for you, Viking,” Hiro murmured sleepily, and Hiccup made a mental note to exhaust Hiro more often because he was certain the boy never would’ve said something like that if he’d been thinking straight.

He cleared his throat and started reading and Hiro closed his eyes. Hiccup had a pleasant reading voice, cool and soothing. It was almost enough to stop this whole poetry nonsense from being a tedious ordeal. And Hiro had to admit, listening to Hiccup reel off a dozen declarations of all-consuming love was not the worst possible way to be spending time. Jesus Christ, he was so screwed…

“Are you still paying attention?” Hiccup asked.

“Oh yes. Absolutely,” said Hiro.

“Any thoughts?”

“You know what, Viking? You have converted me. I am now a devout fanatic of Romantic poetry.”

“I sense mocking,” said Hiccup.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hiccup, I am deadly serious. In fact, I may even become a poet myself.”

Hiccup snorted. “Okay well now I _know_ you’re not serious.”

“How dare you,” cried Hiro in mock outrage (though apparently still not outraged enough to open his eyes) “Look, I will write you a poem right now.”

“You’re lying on your bed like a starfish,” said Hiccup sceptically.

“In my _mind_ , Hiccup, I am writing a poem in my _mind,_ ” said Hiro. He fell silent.

“Well?” prompted Hiccup after a while.

“I’m thinking.”

“You’ve been thinking for a long time.”

“You can’t rush art, Hiccup,” Hiro told him. Then: “Okay. My composition is ready.”

“I’m listening.”

“It’s very poignant,” Hiro warned. “You might cry.”

“Go on.”

Hiro cleared his throat.

“Poems are boring  
I should have stayed in bed and  
away from homework.”

Hiccup laughed. “That’s not a poem.”

“It is a Haiku, I think you’ll find,” Hiro said.

“Then it’s the worst poem I have ever heard.”

Hiro shook his head mournfully. “I’m just unappreciated in my time.”

“I think you should stick to science.”

Hiro sighed dramatically. “Well, let it never be said that Hiro Hamada didn’t give poetry a fair chance. You may resume your reading.”

Hiccup continued, and Hiro let his voice lull him to sleep.

***

It was dark when Hiro woke up, save for the light of the bedside lamp. Hiccup was perched on the windowsill, staring outside and apparently absorbed in thought. “Hey.”

Hiccup turned to look at him and smiled. “Hey there, sleeping beauty.” (Hiro had relented and let Hiccup watch _Sleeping Beauty_ as part of his Disney education.)

Hiro blinked the sleep from his eyes and tried not to fixate on the word _beauty_. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for stars,” said Hiccup, gazing out of the window a little mournfully. “What have the Hiro-era people done to all the stars?”

“Light pollution,” Hiro informed him, propping up his arm on his pillow and resting his chin on his hand. “The city lights overpower them. Apparently they look pretty spectacular if you manage to find a dark enough place. I’ve seen pictures.”

 _“Pictures?”_ repeated Hiccup, shocked. “You mean you’ve never actually seen them properly?” Hiro shrugged. Hiccup glanced wistfully back up at the sky. “They look amazing back home.”

“Do you want to go to Berk?” asked Hiro, sitting up in his nest of blankets.

“I – right now? Can we do that?”

“Of course.”

“It’s, like, two in the morning,” said Hiccup.

“Hah! _Anarchy!”_ Hiro whisper-screamed, punching his fist into the air and launching himself off the bed.

Hiccup’s face broke into a grin as he caught Hiro by the shoulders. “You, Hiro Hamada, are a crazy person.”

Hiro’s eyes flashed. “I, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, am a freaking time traveller!” He was suddenly aggressively awake. He grabbed the portal from its cradle on his bedside table and powered up Baymax.

The three of them crept down the two flights of stairs and out into the night. Hiro’s heart was beating erratically against his ribs, but not in a bad way. “Let’s go,” he whispered, breathless.

When the portal spat them out onto the island, the boys stumbled around, trying to find their balance. Hiccup grabbed Hiro’s wrists and spun him round in wild, wobbly circles, laughter leaving his throat in wild, raspy gasps. For a fraction of a second they both leaned forwards and Hiro felt the tickle of Hiccup’s hair on his own forehead.

Hiccup whispered, “Look,” and Hiro did, tilting his chin up to the heavens.

He didn’t recognise the sky. It was as if a giant had splashed a fistfuls of jewels across the sky, not just silver, but fire-orange and muted-red and ice-blue. It looked like a living creature. “Woah.”

Hiro looked at Hiccup. He was smiling. And then Hiro was smiling too. And then they were laughing, for no reason at all. Hiro imagined this was what being drunk felt like. He was dizzy and ecstatic and he didn’t know why. He didn’t care. He just wanted to run in circles with Hiccup on a _freaking Viking island_ and bask in the craziness of it all. He just wanted to be raw lungs and sweat and jittery limbs and no thoughts. He wanted to just be, simply, under this vast, spiralling expanse of black and bright, bright silver lights. It was okay if it was just him and Hiccup and the stars.

***

They sat perched precariously on the stony ledge of the mountain, huddled together for warmth, feet dangling over the black ocean churning twenty feet below. Everything about this night felt a little bit dangerous. Hiro’s blood was adrenaline, and he liked this.

“So,” Hiccup began. He sounded like he was being careful with his words, like Hiro was a live bomb that might explode if he said the wrong thing. Hiro supposed he’d given Hiccup reason enough to believe that. “You and Cass – you live alone?”

Oh. Hiro’s shoulders tensed. He nodded mutely.

“No parents?”

“They died.” Hiro said it bluntly, the way he always did, hoping to close the subject before the hot tightness in his chest overcame him, or made him snap, or both. Hiccup’s brow creased. He didn’t say he was sorry. He didn’t offer bullshitty sentiments about time healing (Time _didn’t_ heal). He just clasped a steady hand on his shoulder and fixed his green-eyed gaze on him intently.

He didn’t push him to talk, either, just sat with Hiro in long silence as he took in the night sky. Perhaps that was what made Hiro say, “I was really young. It’s not like with Tadashi.”

“What is it like?” Hiccup asked gently.

“It’s like…this emptiness. But, not because I’m missing something I’ve lost, but because I’m missing something I never had.” Feelings Hiro hadn’t even know he’d had until articulating them now rose up in the form of hot tears. “I miss…jumping on their bed at 6am on Christmas mornings they weren’t around for… and, sitting round the table with them for dinners they never got to cook…and, the look on their faces when I got into uni early…I miss…” He broke off, took a shaky breath. “I guess you know how it is – I heard your mother was thought to be dead for a long time?”

“Yes,” Hiccup stared into the sky, unseeing. “I know how it is.” When Hiro looked up, he saw his own quiet tears reflected on Hiccup’s face.

“When Tadashi was still around, it wasn’t so bad, because I knew that he got it too. And then I lost him too and it’s like…I don’t just miss him, I miss…being known as well as he knew me.” He laughed a short, humourless laugh. “And now the thing that gets me best is a robot” He grimaced, “It’s so screwed up.”

“I don’t think so,” said Hiccup. Hiro glanced at him sideways, the scepticism evident in his face, even from this angle. “Seriously,” Hiccup pressed, “You say your brother was the person who understood you best, and your brother made Baymax. He was made to understand you. It’s not screwed up, it makes sense. It’s like Tadashi’s still looking out for you.”

Hiro turned to face Hiccup properly now, considering him with thoughtful eyes. Finally he said, “You know, Viking, on occasion, you can be surprisingly smart.”

The corner of Hiccup’s mouth twitched. “Coming from you, I suppose I should feel honoured.”

“You should,” Hiro agreed. Then after a pause, “Seriously you are, though – smart.”

“Why, thank you,” said Hiccup graciously.

“You know,” Hiro added, “For a barbarian.”

Hiccup removed his hand from Hiro’s shoulder and elbowed him in the ribs; a wild peal of laughter echoed from Hiro’s mouth into the night, surprising them both. Hiro felt as if a weight he hadn’t realised he’d been carrying had just been lifted from his shoulders. He was strangely content, as he remembered for the first time in a long time what it felt like to be understood.

They lay on their backs, Hiccup pointing out constellations, until the sun began to crest the waves, bathing everything in a soft rose-glow that sparkled off the turquoise sea like a many-sided diamond. Perhaps he was imagining it, but Hiro thought the sunrise was more beautiful here too. Or perhaps it was just the way Hiccup looked, lying with his hair fanned in auburn waves around his face, in the orange-gold light.

***

They were too tired to bother going back to San Fransokyo; Hiccup led Hiro up to his bedroom instead. They tried to be stealthy as they crept up the stairs, so as not to wake Hiccup’s mother, but kept bursting into random fits of giggles, and _shush_ ing each other loudly.

Hiccup’s bed wasn’t as spacious as Hiro’s but it didn’t matter; Hiccup pulled Hiro into his chest, wrapping his arms around him. It just felt natural, like they had slept this way their whole lives.

They still didn’t sleep. Hiccup lay with his nose pressed into the younger boy’s hair, eyes wide open, whispering to Hiro. “Do you think that when we die, we’re immortalised as stars?”

“I don’t know if I believe in anything after death.”

“I think I believe it. Or, at least, in _something_. You can’t just – end.”

“What, me personally?”

“Yes, you personally. I don’t want you to end.”

Whispered laughter. “Viking, you’re delirious. Go to sleep.” But then: “Can I tell you a secret?”

“What?”

“I think that when you die, it’s gonna fuck up the sky.”

“Why?”

“Because people think they have the sky figured out. All the constellations. Which one to look at to guide them. But if you become a star, it’s gonna mess it all up. Because you’ll be the brightest one.”

“Okay, so, where’s the secret there?”

“Shut up, Viking.”


	14. Something Strange

Hiro missed Tadashi. Two years on, still missed him desperately. Wasn’t time supposed to heal? Time didn’t heal. Time just let Hiro get used to the pain, turn it into background noise.

And he knew it would be stupid and wrong to meddle with life and death, and would probably do something disastrous to the fabric of time, but a little part of hoped that he could use the time portal to go back to the night of the fire and save Tadashi.

_The fire. He still dreamed about it all the time. Still woke up screaming in a tangle of cold-sweat sheets. Sometimes he just stood there, watching the Institute go up in flames, willing himself to move but rooted to the spot. Sometimes he ran inside, chasing Tadashi’s shouts for help but never finding him in time. Sometimes Hiro was the one trapped in the burning building, choking on the smoke and screaming for Tadashi._

And in a way, it was true, Hiro thought. Part of him _had_ died that night. And apparently it was the part of him who didn’t have to fake smiles and force laughs.

But something strange was happening to Hiro lately, because he hadn’t had a single nightmare since the day Toothless had shot him down, the day he’d first met Hiccup. Like Hiccup took the background noise of pain in Hiro’s brain and turned it down to nothing. And sometimes, for just little, fleeting moments – Hiccup smiling up at him from the centre of the stadium, Hiccup teaching him the constellations, Hiccup’s fingers tickling his sides - he felt…well, it felt a lot like happiness.

***

Hiccup was awake before he opened his eyes, awareness returning to him in fragments. Lying on his side in a tangle of blankets. A soft, warm hand resting on his right shoulder, another on his left wrist. His ankle hooked around Hiro’s. The sound of steady breathing. Hiro’s hair tickling his face.

The first tentative rays of sunlight were filtering through the thin curtains, picking out the lighter strands among Hiro’s mass of shiny black hair. Though his eyelids were heavy and thick with sleep, Hiccup kept opening his eyes to look at Hiro’s face as the younger boy slept. He didn’t know why he did it, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

After a while, a knock sounded on his bedroom door, and then Astrid was peeking her head inside. “Oh, good, you’re here,” she said, relieved.

Hiccup started guiltily. He felt like he’d been caught doing something wrong. He withdrew his arms from Hiro’s waist and crossed them over his chest as he sat up. “Hey.”

Astrid glanced quizzically between the two of them, and lowered her voice to a whisper so as not to wake Hiro. “So, you two are gonna be doing this back-and-forth time-travel thing for a while then?” she asked.

“Um, yeah I think so,” said Hiccup. “Are you mad?”

Astrid took his hand and squeezed it. “Nah, just don’t disappear for too long, okay?"

He squeezed back. “Okay.”

“Can you do me a favour?” she asked.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Stormfly’s tail got nicked by an arrow during the attack the other night. It’s not too bad, I didn’t even notice until this morning, but she’s not flying straight.”

“I’ll go patch her up,” Hiccup said, already half out of bed.

“Thanks, Hiccup,” she smiled. “I’d do it myself, but I’m doing sword-fighting lessons all day.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. She kissed him, but something about it felt a little _off._

“I’ll see you later,” Astrid said, leaving Hiccup to sit there frowning after her. He shook his head – he’d figure it out later. He wrote Hiro a note to let him know where he was, got dressed and headed off to the barns to find Stormfly.

***

It took Hiro a minute to figure out where he was when he woke up. He looked around for Hiccup, and noticed a scrap of paper on the pillow by his head. The note read:

I’ve gone to the barns,  
doing Astrid a favour.  
Find me when you’re up.

\- Hiccup x

A dull ache settled in Hiro’s chest. _Astrid_. God, how did he keep forgetting? He was such an idiot. He remembered with a flush all the things he’d said to Hiccup yesterday, how he’d let Hiccup slip past all his walls as if they weren’t even there. What had he thought was going to happen? Hiccup had Astrid.

He sighed, gazing listlessly at the note while he tried to summon the will to get out of bed. Wait. Hiro frowned. Read the note again. Started counting syllables.  

A helpless laugh rang through his chest; Hiccup had written the note as a Haiku.

  _God,_ thought Hiro, flopping back down onto the pillow. _I am so fucking screwed._

***

The boys went back to Hiro’s house as soon as Hiccup had finished with Stormfly, mostly so they could go and reassure Cass that they hadn’t been kidnapped in the night. Around midday, Hiro suggested going to get milkshakes from a local café. Hiccup didn’t have a clue what a _milkshake_ was but he’d been assured it was something suitably sugary.

While he waited for Hiccup to change out of his Viking attire and into ‘Hiro-era clothes’, Hiro spent a few minutes looking into the mirror and trying to imitate that eyebrow-raise thing that Hiccup did. He couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. Stupid Viking.

“What are you doing?” Hiccup asked as he entered the room, eyeing Hiro with an amused expression.

“Nothing,” said Hiro quickly, spinning round to face him. Hiccup raised his eyebrow, which was infuriating. Stupid Viking. Hiro clicked his tongue in frustration and led the way out. “Let’s just go.”

The part of the city that they walked through that day was new to Hiccup and he looked around eagerly, interested in all the different shops that lined the street. Something caught Hiccup’s attention and he turned back to check that he’d really seen what he thought he’d just seen: a pair of guys across the street from him were standing with their arms locked around each other and their lips pressed together. Hiccup watched with equal bewilderment and captivation.

“Um, Hiccup?”

Hiccup started and realised he had stopped short and was openly staring at the couple. Hiro, a few paces ahead, followed Hiccup’s gaze. Hiro’s eyes widened, just for a second – by the time he looked back at Hiccup his expression was back to neutral – but Hiccup caught it. He’d spent enough time chasing fear off his own face to know what it looked like on someone else.

“Everything okay?” Hiro asked.

Hiccup didn’t know. Truth be told, he sort of felt like a balloon whose string had just been cut. Or perhaps like he’d always thought there was a string, and had just looked down to see that there had never actually been one at all. But that explanation barely made sense in Hiccup’s own mind and besides, he didn’t want to make Hiro uneasy, so he said, “Yeah, fine,” and kept walking.

When they got to the café, Hiro led Hiccup to a table by the window, the kind tall enough that meant you sat at them on high stools. They ordered two large milkshakes (Oreo, naturally) which arrived at their table almost immediately.

“Okay,” Hiccup said, after tasting his, “I admit that I’m beginning to understand your borderline-unhealthy Oreo obsession.”

“It’s an entirely healthy Oreo obsession,” said Hiro, who had somehow managed to drink almost half of his milkshake already. His gaze caught onto something outside, over Hiccup’s shoulder, and followed it along the shopfront. Hiccup followed the direction of his eyes just in time to see a pair of girls pushing the door open to enter the café. He immediately noticed their hands clasped together.

The taller of the two, slender-framed and elfin-featured, was dressed in the same uniform as the waiters here, so Hiccup assumed she was here to start her shift. She waved at Hiro when she caught sight of him and pulled her companion over to their table.

“Hey, Hiro,” she smiled at him. Her voice had a lilting, musical quality about it.

“Hi, Mel.”

The other girl trailed a little behind, her face partially hidden behind heavy sheets of dark-red hair. She wrapped her arm around Mel’s delicate waist as she talked to Hiro about some kind of school work.

“Well I’d better go start taking orders,” said Mel, She gave the girl a goodbye kiss, pushing her hair back from her face. When Mel pulled back, the other girl was smiling dreamily. “I’ll see you later,” she murmured, gently extricating herself from Mel’s grip. She waved shyly at Hiccup and Hiro, before turning and heading back out onto the high-street.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Mel said, winking a turquoise-blue eye at them as she skipped over to the counter.

“See you,” Hiro called after her. Turning back to Hiccup, he said, “That was Melody. She’s in my history class”

Hiccup chewed his lip, trying to figure out how to ask what he needed to ask.  
“And the girl with her…” he said, inclining his head towards the door through which the red-head had left.

“Bea” Hiro supplied.

“Right, Bea,” Said Hiccup, “She’s…her girlfriend?” For some reason the question made him nervous.

“Yes.” Hiro folded his arms. “Problem with that?”

“No!” said Hiccup sharply. Hiro’s expression relaxed slightly. “I just…I’ve never…No one ever told me that was a thing,” Hiccup muttered, head down.

“Hiccup,” Hiro said, so Hiccup would look back up at him. He was looking at Hiccup with large imploring eyes, like he was searching for the right words. Eventually he just shrugged and said, “It’s okay.”

“So, it’s normal in the Hiro-era?” Hiccup asked.

“It’s…” Hiro seemed to be picking his words carefully, “not unusual.” He was still studying Hiccup intently, but Hiccup didn’t know what to say so he just nodded, and put his straw back to his lips.

They were quiet on the walk back home afterwards. Hiro’s words played over and over in Hiccup’s mind. _It’s…not unusual_. Not unusual for girls to date girls, or, for boys to date boys. He could take Hiro’s hand right now and nobody would give them a second glance. Hypothetically speaking. _It’s okay._ He remembered the unexpected thrill that had shot through him when Hiro had grabbed his arm the other day. He wondered if holding Hiro’s hand would feel the same way. Hypothetically speaking.


	15. Broken China

Hiro sat perched on a kitchen stool. He was sipping from a mug of hot chocolate – another mug sat on the island waiting for Hiccup – frowning at the email he’d just received.

“Hey,” Hiccup’s voice came from the doorway.

“Hey,” Hiro murmured absently, keeping his eyes on his laptop screen.

“What are you reading?”

“A message from a professor at the Institute. He says-” he looked up at Hiccup, and broke off. The Viking’s torso was bare, catching droplets of water as they fell from his freshly washed hair.

Hiro dropped his mug. It glanced off the edge of the island, spilling its steaming contents over Hiro’s shirt before shattering on the floor. Hiro blinked at it.

“Shit,” said Hiccup. He crossed the distance between himself and Hiro in two strides and tugged at the front of Hiro’s shirt, pulling it away from his skin. “Are you burnt? You need to take this off.”

“Hiccup! What are you-” Hiro’s voice was muffled as Hiccup pulled his shirt up and over his head. Cool, light fingers traced over the scalded-red skin of Hiro’s chest.

“Are you okay?” asked Hiccup, a worried crease appearing on his brow. Hiro blinked at him. He felt a little light-headed. There was so much more _skin_ in this room than there had been a minute ago.

Hiccup disappeared from his side for a moment, and distantly Hiro registered the sound of water running. When Hiccup returned, he was holding a damp cloth, which he proceeded to press gently to Hiro’s chest. Despite the cold water, everything was suddenly way too hot.

“Does it hurt?” Hiccup asked softy.

Hiro shook his head. Finally he managed to pull it together enough to choke out a jumble of words. “Hiccup – can you just – I – can I have a minute alone please.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay, sure. If you’re sure you’re okay.” He let Hiro take hold of the cloth, and stepped back.

“I’m fine,” said Hiro. He was not fine.

“Okay, I’ll go get you another shirt,” said Hiccup, heading out of the room.

“Get one for yourself too!” Hiro called after him.

So. That happened. Shit. Shit shit.

He took a few shaky breaths, and set about cleaning up the mess he’d made. He didn’t have anything to wrap up the fragments of the broken mug with, so he just left them in a pile on the island for now.

Baymax had been standing in the corner of the kitchen quietly observing the entire exchange. Instead of asking Hiro to rate his pain, Baymax picked up a black sharpie from the kitchen counter and drew himself a pair of eyebrows, one of them arched in clear scepticism. “I believe this is the appropriate facial expression for the current situation,” he said.

Hiro sighed. “I suppose it’s not _completely_ out of the realms of possibility that I _may_ be experiencing, as you say, ‘ _a crush._ ’”


	16. Rain

While Hiro went to class the next day, Gogo and Honey took it upon themselves to take Hiccup clothes shopping, because, “Hiro’s too emotionally uncommunicative to say anything, but it must be weird for him to see you wearing his dead brother’s clothes.”

Hiccup, knowing nothing about fashion, was happy enough to just let Gogo pick out whatever she wanted for him, as she seemed to enjoy it. He and Honey trailed her around the shop while she examined the clothes, occasionally picking something up from the railing and holding it against Hiccup to gauge how it would look.

“Alright,” said Gogo after a little while. “Spit it out.”

“What?” asked Hiccup, nonplussed.

“That thing you keep opening your mouth to say and then changing your mind about at the last second.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh,” said Gogo, holding up a shirt to Hiccup’s chest. “Sure you don’t.”

A silence fell between them, long and heavy. Hiccup caved. He said, “Is Hiro gay?”

A wickedly delighted grin spread across Gogo’s face. She held out her open palm to Honey, who sighed and placed a handful of coins into it. “Ta,” said Gogo, pocketing them. She turned her attention back to Hiccup and asked, “What’s it to you?” 

“Nothing,” said Hiccup quickly. “I was just curious.”

Gogo looked meaningfully at Honey and echoed, “ _Just curious_.”

Honey nodded solemnly, saying “Obviously. Nothing more.”

“Well, is he?” asked Hiccup impatiently.

“He hasn’t said anything, but if I was gonna put money on it....” Gogo trailed off and shrugged.

“Okay.”

“So?” prompted Gogo.

“So, what?”

“ _So_ , he’s cute, right?” she said, exasperated.

“I hadn’t noticed.”

 Gogo rolled her eyes. “Darling, any idiot could see from the way you look at him that you most certainly _have_ noticed.”

“One would almost think you weren’t able to _stop_ noticing,” Honey added.

Hiccup grimaced. “I have a girlfriend.”

Without missing a beat, Gogo turned to Honey and said, “Two weeks, tops.”

Honey considered for a moment. “Three weeks.”

“You’re on,” said Gogo, holding out a hand. They shook.

“Two weeks until what?” Hiccup demanded.

“Oh, nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about.”

***

It rained that night, and Hiccup had the back door open to let in the sound and the earthy scent. He was sitting half-inside, half-outside, letting drops of water splash onto his bare feet. He was holding the fragments of Hiro’s broken mug, carefully gluing them back together.

“Hiccup, you don’t have to do that,” Hiro said when he found him there.

Hiccup smiled. “I know.”

“You know, the glue probably won’t stop it from leaking.”

“You won’t be wanting it back then,” said Hiccup, sounding pleased.

“Well, no.”

“Good, because it’s for me.”

“If you want a souvenir from San Fransokyo, I think we can find you something better than a broken mug,” said Hiro.

Hiccup held up the mug. “Sentimental value,” he said simply.

“If you say so…” said Hiro dubiously.  He sat down next to Hiccup, and watched the rain splash against his own feet. “Hiccup, I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?” Hiccup asked, although he had a hunch.

Hiro shivered. “It’s about the email I got from the Institute yesterday.”

Hiccup looked at him quizzically. It wasn’t what he’d been expecting Hiro to say and he wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

“It turns out one of the professors overheard us telling the team about the dragons on Berk. He sent me with some designs he made of…he wants us to use the portal to bring the dragons here and use them in power stations – get them to breathe fire for us instead of burning fuels.”

“But…” said Hiccup, “They wouldn’t…the dragons wouldn’t co-operate.”

“He plans to force them. He showed me all these horrible ideas of how to trap them, tranquilise them, keep them chained up and use electric shocks to make them breathe fire of he has to.”

Hiccup was shivering now too, but the cold seemed to come from the inside. “No,” his voice was hoarse. “No, Hiro they can’t…they wouldn’t…you can’t let them…” He couldn’t finish a sentence. The thought of Toothless in chains made his stomach roil.

“I know, Hiccup, _I know_ , okay?” Hiro grabbed Hiccup’s shoulders and squeezed. “I’m not going to let them anywhere near your dragons, understand?” His touch steadied Hiccup and Hiccup nodded.

“How will you…?”

“My team is having a meeting with the councillors in a couple of weeks,” Hiro explained. “Both sides will get to make our arguments, and then the council will vote on whether or not to go ahead with the professor’s plan.”

“But what if they vote in favour of it?” Hiccup panicked. Now he was clutching at Hiro’s arms too.

“Sshh, it’s okay,” Hiro said. “It’s _my_ project. My team and I are the only ones who know the designs for the portal and we keep it in a safe only we know the combination to. They’re all with me on this: If the vote doesn’t go our way…well, we’ll take you back to Berk, come back home and then destroy it. All the blue-prints, all the plans, everything. We’ll scrap the whole project.”

Hiccup stared at him uncomprehendingly. “You…you would destroy the last three years’ worth of your work?”

Hiro set his jaw. “Yes.”

“But – _time travel_ \- I…” Hiccup stammered, “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You don’t have to ask me, it’s just what’s right,” Hiro insisted. “Hiccup, the people in my world are so obsessed with making life better for themselves, they don’t care if it means hurting other animals. I’m the one who’s responsible for providing a way for them to get to Berk, so I’m the one who has to take it away if they try to abuse it. I will not let them take your dragons,” he repeated emphatically. “It’s that simple.”

Hiccup was at a loss for words. For the first time, he became aware of how they were sitting, their bodies twisted round to face each other, their arms wrapped around each other as if to keep the other from falling apart. “Wait,” Hiccup whispered. “If it comes to that, if you destroyed the portal…we wouldn’t be able to see each other anymore.”

“I know,” Hiro said. “That’s why I’m really rooting for plan A.”

“Yeah,” Hiccup muttered, looking down at their rain-soaked feet. “Me too.”

Neither boy could sleep yet, so they stayed how they were, silently watching the sheets of rain dance and shimmer in the lights of the city, huddled together for warmth. _I don’t want to lose this._ Time was endless and not enough at the same time. At some point Hiro fell asleep, slumped against Hiccup’s shoulder, and Hiccup sat there, absentmindedly playing with the other boy’s hair until the sky started to lighten.

When his eyes began stinging with fatigue, Hiccup pulled Hiro into his arms and stood up, careful not to wake him, the fixed mug clutched in one hand. He carried the boy back up to bed, laid him gently down and pulled the duvet over him before lying down beside him.

Hiccup still didn’t sleep; he studied Hiro’s face in the half-light and tried to imagine not being able to see it again. _You can’t do that_ , Hiccup thought desperately. _You can’t just appear into my life with no warning and turn everything upside down and then disappear again_.

Something tugged in Hiccup’s chest, and then he knew. It had felt _off_ when he had kissed Astrid the other day. And it hadn’t been because of Astrid. It had been because of _him._


	17. Swordfights II

When Hiccup was stressed or scared, he practised his sword-work, so the following day, while Hiro was at school, Hiccup could be found in the arena, slicing his sword through the air around him like he was trying to swat away his own thoughts. He let himself get lost in the targets and movement and aching limbs, tried to keep himself from thinking about anything at all for just a second.

“Could you use an opponent who can fight back?” said a voice from behind him. He looked around, and Astrid was there, twirling a sword of her own.

Hiccup bit his lip. He’d been hoping to put off seeing Astrid again for a little while longer, but it wasn’t as if she’d done anything wrong. Hiccup’s feelings were just all over the place right now. He smiled. “Sure.”

They circled each other watching each other’s movements intently. Astrid struck out first, taking Hiccup by surprise; he barely dodged her. Hiccup kept moving, slicing and twirling and ducking, but it felt wrong, all clunky and awkward. He was struggling to keep up. Usually he was so attuned with Astrid that he could anticipate her actions before she made them, but that wasn’t happening for him today. She was unreadable, and it made all his moves uncertain.

His sword was out of his hands before he knew what was happening. They regarded at it for a few silent seconds.

“Best of three?” suggested Astrid.

Hiccup nodded. Picked up his sword again.

This time, he made the first move. There was more force to it this time, but he had no control. He wasn’t sure if he was moving the sword or if the sword was moving him. He was just striking wildly, almost randomly, barely bothering to block Astrid’s swipes.

Astrid disarmed him so quickly it was embarrassing.

“Okay,” she said, casting her own sword down. “You only ever lose when you’re upset. What’s wrong?”

Hiccup paced a lap around the arena. Where did he even start?

“Some people in San Fransokyo want to take our dragons for their own use,” he said, the words tumbling out of him in a rush. Astrid’s eyes widened. “I mean, it’s okay, they’re not _going_ to,” Hiccup added quickly. He explained how Hiro had promised to scrap the project if it came to that.

“Okay…So they’re safe either way, right?” Astrid summarised.

“Well, yes…” said Hiccup, feeling as though Astrid was missing the point here.

“So what’s the big deal?”

Hiccup blanched. What was the _big deal?_ “He might not ever be able to come back here!” he said indignantly. What he didn’t say was: _I might never be able to go back there._

Astrid eyed Hiccup like she was struggling to figure him out. He supposed the unreadability was working both ways today. “Hiccup,” she said gently, “Maybe…Maybe that’s for the best.”

“ _What?”_ Hiccup rounded on her, “Hiro’s my friend - in what way would that be at all for the best?”

“Well Hiccup, you can’t run around aimlessly with him forever!” Astrid snapped. “I know you hate it but you have responsibilities and you’re not gonna be able to run away from them for much longer. I know that’s why you keep going back there with him, Hiccup, but it’s not going to work. He’s a kid! You’re a Chief!”

“Oh, he’s a kid?” repeated Hiccup, anger flaring up in his chest. “Guess what, Astrid: _we’re_ kids! We shouldn’t have to be dealing with inter-tribe politics we know nothing about! They shouldn’t be sending us across the Wastelands to draw up battle plans with leaders three times our age! For what? For the sake of _tradition?_ It would be one thing if they were actually going to _listen_ to what we have to say, but they’re just trying to make puppets out of us, and I’m done with it! I’m just so _done_ with it all! So _yeah_ , maybe I want to just get the hell out of here and run around aimlessly and be a _kid_ sometimes.” He was breathing heavily and trying to ignore the sting at the back of his eyes.

Astrid’s face had softened and she was watching Hiccup with this tragic look in her eyes that was making him feel ten times worse. “Hiccup…” she reached out to touch his face.

He caught her wrist before she could touch him. “Don’t,” he said quietly. “I can’t do this. I want to quit.”

Astrid sighed. “Look, I don’t know what Hiro’s been saying to you, but-”

“What? Can you leave Hiro out of this please - he has nothing to do with it.” But that wasn’t strictly true. It was about Hiro. In some convoluted way, it was about Hiro. He wondered what Astrid would say if she knew that boys held hands and kissed on the streets in San Fransokyo.

“Bull! A few days with him and it’s like you don’t even remember where you come from! You only ever want to be over there!”

Hiccup’s breath caught. “You said you didn’t mind!”

Astrid closed her eyes. Drew in a slow breath. “Look, Hiccup, the tribe needs their leader and I’m just trying to make sure you don’t lose sight of that. You know, ‘Anamortia’s duties’ and all that.”

“Anamortia’s duties,” Hiccup echoed with a bitter laugh. It was an old term, used to describe the role of the Chief’s partner in guiding his leadership. “Well maybe I relieve you of them!”

Astrid flinched. “You don’t mean that.”

“No?” shouted Hiccup. He was shaking all over.

Astrid stood up straighter. “No. You wouldn’t walk away from me and you definitely wouldn’t walk away from your people. You’re better than that, Hiccup.”

His words came out harsh and choked as he strode past her. “No, I’m not.”

***

Hiccup thought he’d been doing a pretty good job of hiding his bad mood all day, but apparently he was wrong, because the first thing Hiro said to him that afternoon when he’d brought him back to San Fransokyo was, “Alright, Viking. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” said Hiccup, but then immediately afterwards: “Well, Astrid and I had a fight.”

“Oh,” said Hiro, “But, like…you’ll make up, right?”

“I don’t know,” said Hiccup quietly, “It’s never really happened before.”

“What did you guys fight about?”

Hiccup chewed on his lip. What _had_ the argument been about? He felt like it had ended up in a different place than where it started. “It was sort of about me spending so much time here, I guess.”

Hiro’s face fell. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” said Hiccup quickly. He took Hiro’s hand, and the other boy started a little, but smiled when Hiccup said, “I’m really glad you brought me here.”

“So…you’re not gonna stop?” asked Hiro.

Hiccup stated tracing little figures of eight on Hiro’s palm with his thumb; he barely noticed he was doing it. Hiro, meanwhile, felt as if Hiccup was systematically setting his nerves alight. “As long as you still want me here,” said Hiccup.

“I’m always gonna want – um – you’re always welcome here, okay?”

Hiccup smiled. He felt genuinely okay for the first time since the fight with Astrid, and he knew that this was where he needed to be. Not because it was a thousand years into the future and Thor-knows how many miles away, but because it was where Hiro was.  


***

Hiro’s friends picked up Hiro and Hiccup on the way to the lab so they could start their research for the _Great_ _Dragon Debate_ , as Fred had dubbed it. But as the group walked, the conversation about possible debate points quickly devolved into arguing about Hiro’s prom, which was coming up at the end of the summer term.

“You have to go to your prom, Hiro, and you have to take a date,” Fred was saying, “It’s a life experience.” Cass seemed to have recruited the others to her ‘Making Hiro Socialise’ agenda.

“I went to my prom when I graduated high school the _first_ time,” argued Hiro.

“Yeah but you were what, thirteen, back then?”

“So?”

“ _So_ , it would’ve just been weird if you took a date back then.”

“It would still be weird _now_ ,” said Hiro, “I only talk to, like, two people in my school. And they’re dating each other, so…”

There was a pause in the conversation just then as they walked in single-file to pass a group of young men hovering outside a shop. Hiccup looked them all up and down as they passed, and Hiro’s stomach twisted anxiously. Ever since the day they’d talked to Melody and Bea at the café, Hiccup had been looking at every guy he encountered as if he’d never seen one before. Hiro didn’t really know what to make of that. He kept watching Hiccup to see if Hiccup was looking at _him_ differently too, but as far as he could tell, Hiccup looked at him the way he always had. Hiro didn’t know what to make of that either.

“You know,” said Wasabi, bringing Hiro’s attention back to matter at hand. “Chrissie has a younger sister in your year. Carys? Apparently she thinks you’re cute.”

“So?” said Hiro, supremely disinterested.

“ _So_ , how do you not care about that?”

“Just because _you_ fall over yourself for any girl who gives you a second glance, doesn’t mean we all do.”

Wasabi gave Hiro a playful shove, and Hiro let himself stumble into Hiccup, even though he hadn’t been pushed that hard. Hiccup put his hand against the small of Hiro’s back, even though he didn’t need steadying.

Fred turned to Hiccup. “Tell him, Hiccup. _You_ have a girlfriend, right?”

Hiro elbowed Fred in the ribs. “Sore topic.”

“Um. I think we sort of broke up today, so…” Hiccup mumbled.

“Oh shit, sorry man,” said Fred.

Hiccup shrugged. “It was probably my fault.”

Fred turned back to Hiro. “See, Hiro, don’t you want someone to take to prom and have drama with and break your heart?”

“Oh yeah, sounds great,” said Hiro with an eye-roll so vigorous it could shake the ground beneath them.

“Seriously though,” chimed in Wasabi. “You should ask Carys to prom.”

Hiro sighed. “That’s not really where my interests lie.” He glanced at Hiccup, then looked quickly away, like he hadn’t meant to.

“What, Carys? Or prom?”

After a moment’s hesitation Hiro said, “Girls.”

“Oooh,” Wasabi and Fred chorused as if everything was suddenly making sense. Hiccup sent Gogo a warning look because he was pretty sure somebody owed her money. She at least had the decency not to demand it right there.

Hiro meanwhile, tensed, waiting for Hiccup to move apart from him, to take his hand away. Hiccup didn’t do that; he slipped his arm around Hiro’s waist as they walked and offered him a shy smile. Hiro’s insides turned to butterfly wings.

***

 “So…” said Hiccup cautiously as they got ready for bed that night. He prodded Hiro’s foot with his toe. “Guys then?” He didn’t need to explain what he meant. Hiro nodded. He was doing that frowning-at-the-ground thing he did when he was uncomfortable. Hiccup wanted desperately to smooth that expression off his face but he didn’t know what to say.

Hiro was hovering uncertainly next to the bed. “So…um…you’re still okay with sharing a bed? Now that – you know,” he mumbled, not meeting Hiccup’s eyes.

“Don’t be stupid, Hiro,” Hiccup pulled back the corner of the duvet, “Get in.” Hiro smiled, and the world righted itself.

“I mean,” Hiccup added with a grin, “I know it must take an extreme force of will to keep your hands off _all this_ , but-”

“You’re an idiot, Viking,” Hiro cut him off as he joined him under the duvet.

“But a hot one,” said Hiccup, “You might as well admit it.”

“I admit nothing,” said Hiro

“So you admit that there’s something to admit?”

“I said _nothing,_ ” Hiro reiterated. He switched off the bedside lamp, throwing them into darkness.

“You know,” said Hiccup, and Hiro could hear the smirk in his voice. “I don’t have to be able to see your face to know that you’re blushing.”

 _“Good night_ , Hiccup,” said Hiro, mortified.

Soft laughter. “Night, Genius-boy.”


	18. Swordfights III

Hiccup woke Hiro up at an ungodly hour of the morning, saying he needed a new sword fighting partner now that he and Astrid were no longer talking.

“Hiccup…” An adorably sleepy Hiro emerged from his cocoon of blankets to peer blearily at Hiccup, all big brown eyes and tousled hair. Hiccup felt a sudden surge of affection for him. “The sun’s like, not even up yet.”

“You said you wanted me to teach you,” said Hiccup.

“I also wanted to be mentally awake for it. I thought that was implied.”

Hiccup pushed a mug of coffee into his hands. “Don’t drop it,” he advised.

 _“Funny,”_ muttered Hiro. He paused with the mug raised half-way to his lips. “Are you wearing eyeliner?” He felt as if he hadn’t quite appreciated just how _green_ Hiccup’s eyes were until this moment.

Hiccup shrugged. “Gogo made me get it.”

 _Gogo is trying to kill me,_ Hiro thought. How the hell was he supposed to take his eyes off Hiccup now? Already-perfect faces should not be allowed to wear make-up, because now he was so pretty it was painful.

Hiccup powered up Baymax, and they let the robot lead them outside with the time-portal. “Hey, what’s with those eyebrows Baymax has drawn on anyway?” Hiccup asked in a low voice.

Hiro blushed. He’d almost forgotten about that. “Well he’s feeling rather smug about something and since he isn’t naturally blessed with the features to express it, he decided to accessorise.”

“He looks sort of ridiculous,” said Hiccup.

“I think he learned that facial expression from you, actually,” said Hiro.

Hiccup wiggled his eyebrows at him. “Well in that case I completely approve.”

***

Although it was early, the air hung unusually hot and heavy, and seemed to hum electrically between them. Perhaps it was just Hiro who noticed.

Through his tiredness, he was excited. He wasn’t exactly _happy_ that Hiccup and Astrid had argued – Hiccup was clearly upset about it – but a tiny, terrible part of him was taking pleasure in being Astrid’s replacement, even if it was just in the arena.

Hiccup took him into the armoury and led him to a table laden with row after row of swords. “Feel the weight of this one,” he said, picking one out and handing it to Hiro.

“Um. What am I feeling for?”

“It should be well-balanced in your hand.”

Hiro waved the blade around a little. He had no idea what that was supposed to feel like. “It just feels bulky,” he said.

Hiccup smiled. “You’ll get used to it. Come on, that one’s probably as good as any for now.”

Hiccup took him through the basic moves, sometimes stepping behind him to correct his positioning. He stood very close to Hiro when he did this; Hiro could feel the heat radiating from his chest.

After some time, he suggested Hiro start practicing against him, slowly at first. Hiccup held his weapon in his right hand rather than his left, to give Hiro a fighting chance, but Hiro was still pretty hopelessly outmatched. Even when Hiro began to fight in earnest, picking up the pace, Hiccup pushed his swipes aside with ease. It was like Hiccup somehow knew what he was going to do right before he did it, and was already ready for him. Hiro didn’t mind. He liked watching Hiccup’s limbs move with that ferocious grace. There seemed to be a little more life inside of Hiccup when he fought, lighting him up from the inside, and the feeling was infectious, like laughter.

They took a break and sat for a while on the wall that separated the fighting area from the spectator seats, swinging out their legs and sipping water from a shared bottle of water. The sun was beating down on them hotter and brighter still, and when Hiccup hopped down from his perch, he pulled his shirt up over his head – ruffling his sweat-darkened hair – and dropped it on the ground. Which was the best and worst thing to happen to Hiro, maybe ever. The air positively crackled. Perhaps it was just Hiro who noticed.

Hiccup watched him, half expectant, like Hiro might shed his shirt too, but Hiro was too busy trying (like, _really_ trying) not to gape at Hiccup. The Viking was a miracle of lean muscles and sure angles. Hiro had never wanted to touch someone so badly.

After a pause, Hiccup picked up his sword again, twirling it so that sheets of silvery sunlight reflected off it and flickered across the arena. “Shall we go again?”

Hiro reclaimed his sword in a sweat-slicked hand. “Yeah.”

Hiro had been improving up till this point, but between Hiccup’s eyeliner and distinct lack of a shirt, Hiro was having trouble finding his focus. He tried to make his world narrow to just the two swords, tried to forget about the way the sunlight was playing in dappled pools in Hiccup’s hair and dancing across the beads of sweat on his chest… Okay, so he was staring, but really, could you blame him?

Time after time, Hiccup knocked Hiro’s sword out of his slackened grip, and smirked with quiet triumph, like he knew exactly what he was doing to Hiro’s concentration, like he had planned it. Which, really. That was just unfair. As if he needed any more advantages.

It was not until later that it occurred to Hiro that Hiccup might have just been _pleased_ that he’d been looking at him the way he had. He was glad that he hadn’t registered that earlier because he was certain he would’ve just dropped his sword.


	19. In A Good Light

“Want to come feed Toothless?” Hiccup asked as they stepped out of the arena.

“Um…” A swish of long auburn hair had just caught Hiro’s eye. “I actually have to get to school,” he said.

Hiccup glanced up at the sun’s position (it was so cool that he could tell the time that way) and frowned. “We’ve still got time.”

“I have to be in early for a – thing – today,” said Hiro. “I’ll come back and get you after class?”

Hiccup raised his eyebrows, clearly unconvinced, but he nodded. “See you later then.” He headed towards the woods.

Hiro waited until he had disappeared from view, and hurried towards the dining hall, where he had just seen Hiccup’s mother, Valka, walking into. When he entered the room he saw her siting alone but looking perfectly at peace. Hiro felt sort of nervous approaching her. She looked sort of intimidating, almost regal, sitting straight-backed and with her chin lifted.

“Um. Excuse me,” Hiro said, gesturing to the seat opposite her, “May I sit?”

“Please do,” Valka smiled up at him. “Your name is Hiro, yes? You’re Hiccup’s friend from the future?”

“Uh, yes.”

“He’s been spending a lot of time with you recently,” she noted.

“Um…yeah…” Hiro shifted uncomfortably. Valka probably wasn’t too pleased that he was dragging her son away from his duties.

“That wasn’t a reproach. I wanted to thank you, actually. I think you are good for him – he smiles more now.”

“Oh,” said Hiro, taken aback. He made Hiccup smile more.

“You’re surprised?” Valka asked, amusement quirking up her mouth. “Ah, you thought I would be angry.”

Hiro nodded meekly.

Valka drew in a breath and let it out in a long, slow sigh. “My son – he is shouldering a burden that was not made for such young shoulders. I would take it from him, if I could. But that would go against _tradition,”_ She said the word with no small amount of disdain. “You, Hiro, seem to alleviate some of that burden. I am grateful for that.”

“Oh,” said Hiro again. “Well, um, I’m glad. I – um – wanted to ask you a favour actually.”

Valka steepled her fingers and regarded him kindly. “Go on,” she prompted.

“Hiccup’s a really good sword-fighter,” Hiro began.

Valka smiled, inclining her head a little. “He is. That is not a question.”

“Right,” said Hiro, “Well I was practising with him just now and he just totally slaughtered me. And I was wondering if maybe you could teach me?”

“Unbeknownst to him, I suppose?” Valka asked. Hiro nodded. Her smile widened. “Hiccup has a meeting tomorrow, at sunset. Meet me in the arena. We will see what we can do.”

***

“Hey, Hiro,” said Wasabi, eyes lighting up with mischief as he noticed the boy in the doorway. The group had started having regular meetings to pull together research for the upcoming debate: every study on animal suffering they could find; every alternative energy source; every law that might prevent the professor from doing what he wanted to do. “Hiccup was just telling us he’s been teaching you how to handle a sword.”

Hiccup restrained himself from rolling his eyes – in hindsight, he should have known better than to mention the sword fighting to Hiro’s friends. Judging by the expression on his face when he caught Hiccup’s gaze, the same thing was going through Hiro’s mind.

“Yeah,” added Gogo, “We hear you’ve got a pretty good grip.”

Hiccup watched Hiro, expecting this comment to elicit a blush from him, but Hiro simply leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow at him. Hiccup’s stomach flipped. Well, shit. When had Hiro learned to do that?

***

Hiro was unjustly ambushed into another tickle fight the next evening. He’d just had his first sword-fighting lesson with Valka and had come to take Hiccup back to San Fransokyo. As soon as he walked into Hiccup’s living room, the Viking’s hands were flying up and down his ribcage, rendering Hiro helpless with laughter.

“You know, most people just say _hello_ ,” gasped Hiro as he fought back in kind. Annoyed as he was about the lack of warning, he was kind of glad for an excuse to touch Hiccup. Ever since Gogo had taken Hiccup shopping, he’d been going around looking like he’d just walked through a shredder, the holes in his clothing showing flashes of skin in distracting places. It was a disadvantage to him today; he shrieked with laughter every time Hiro’s fingers brushed a patch of bare skin.

“Most people are boring,” said Hiccup. He tackled Hiro to the ground and put his knees on either side of Hiro’s hips to keep him in place. God, Hiro wanted to kiss him so badly. He tried in vain to roll away. His stomach was both sore from laughing so hard and filling with butterflies at the feeling of Hiccup’s hands _all over him_.

“Hiccup,” he panted, “You win, okay, have mercy!”

“Hmm…” Hiccup made a show of considering, while Hiro continued to twist on the ground beneath him. “I’ll stop if you admit how devastatingly handsome I am.”

“You’re really not letting this go, huh?” said Hiro with a roll of his eyes.

“Nope.”

Hiro glanced up slyly. “Viking, why is it so important to you that I think you’re attractive?”

Perhaps he was imagining it, but he thought he saw Hiccup flush slightly beneath his freckles. His hands stilled for a moment. “Was that an admission?”

_“No.”_

“Oh, well in that case…” Hiccup resumed his tickling.

Hiro caved. “Ugh! _Okay.”_

“I’m listening,” said Hiccup.

“Let me _breathe.”_

Hiccup stopped. He had Hiro’s wrists pinned above his head and was leaning over him, hair falling into his eyes, with an expectant look on his face. Hiro’s heart tripped. “Well?” said Hiccup.

Hiro sighed dramatically. “I _suppose_ I can sort of see why some people _might_ find you somewhat aesthetically pleasing.”

Hiccup grinned. “I guess I’ll take that.”

“You know,” Hiro added, “In a good light.”

“I see.”

“And only if I squint my eyes.”

“Of course.”

Hiro pushed Hiccup off him. “You’re an idiot, Viking.”


	20. Weightless

Hiro lay on his back, finding shapes among the clouds, grass tickling his neck. Hiccup was lying next to him in Toothless’s clearing, throwing a red rubber ball high into the air and catching it again with one hand. _Up, freeze, down. Up, freeze, down._

When Hiro was young – maybe four or five – Tadashi had given him the ball, which Hiro had become fascinated with for, well, maybe a few minutes, because let’s be honest, he was a child-prodigy with more interesting things to do. All the same, for a few happy moments, Hiro had bounced the ball against the floor as hard as he could, watched it sail up into the air, stop for a fraction of a second, then drop back down into his out-stretched hand, and he’d start all over again. It was the stopping part that fascinated Hiro the most. How, for a second, the ball appeared to be weightless.

Hiro could feel it now, that weightlessness. The feeling that his body had frozen for a second but his insides were still trying to move upwards. The feeling that he was on the cusp of falling and he had nothing left in himself to fight it.

“Hiro?” said Hiccup. His voice shaped the name carefully, like something delicate.

“Yeah?” replied Hiro warily.

“Um. You know how you like guys?”

Hiro’s heart stuttered. “Uh, yes?” Yes, he knew. Yes, he was painfully aware of it whenever Hiccup was around.

“Well, I…I think...”

Hiro swung his head around to look at Hiccup, who kept his eyes fixed resolutely on the ball – _up, freeze, down_ – while he tried to find the right words. Hiro’s heart was suddenly thudding very hard against his chest. “What?”

Hiccup caught the ball and held it still inside his fist so he could shift his attention to Hiro. He asked, with a sort of desperate edge to his voice, “Is it possible to like both? Is that a thing?”

“Yeah, Hiccup,” Hiro said, touching Hiccup’s shoulder, “That’s a thing.”

Hiccup looked relived. Then more nervous. “Okay,” he said after a moment, resuming his throwing and catching – _up, freeze, down_ – “Just checking.”


	21. Swordfights IV

A week passed, and when he wasn’t in school or at the lab planning debate points with the others, Hiro was being trained by Valka. She stayed true to her word and let these lessons remain a secret, giving Hiccup jobs to do for her to keep him occupied while she taught Hiro.

Hiro wasn’t an idiot – he’d witnessed himself that Hiccup was the best fighter on the island and wasn’t expecting to actually outmatch him – but he was a fast learner, and he thought that maybe if Hiccup was using his weaker hand and wasn’t expecting Hiro to know as much as he did, he might just take the Viking by surprise and give him a good fight.

This morning, the boys travelled to Berk early in the morning, as they had last time, and headed for the armoury. Hiccup picked out a sword and held it out to Hiro, but Hiro shook his head and chose one for himself. He knew now which weapon was best for him. Hiccup raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. He picked up his own sword and followed Hiro to the arena.

A week of lessons had done Hiro some good. His movements were swifter, surer, and Hiccup noticed immediately. His mouth curved up into a half-smile. “Who’s been teaching you?”

Hiro flashed a triumphant smile of his own. “Your mother.”

Hiccup let out an amused huff of breath. “Of course.”

Metal clashed with metal, the climbing sun bouncing its rays around them, surrounding the boys with prismatic light. Hiro was making progress, he could tell. He was making Hiccup have to actually have to work, making him have to concentrate. He thought he might actually be in with a chance here…

And then Hiccup took off his shirt again.

Well. If he was going to play it _that_ way…Hiro hesitated for just a second before doing the same.

Hiccup’s eyes slid over him without subtlety and a hot flush spread across Hiro’s skin.   
He watched the lump in Hiccup’s throat rise and fall. His heart kicked. If he wasn’t mistaken, Hiccup was a little flustered. Because of _him._ He bit his lip against a smile and raised his sword. “Ready?”

They locked eyes and a thrill hummed through him. (That freaking _eyeliner_. God.) Hiccup drew his sword and nodded. “Ready.”

And something odd happened this time: they both struck out at the same time. Where Hiro drove forward, Hiccup had already moved from that space; where Hiccup struck, Hiro was already prepared to block. They were perfectly in tune.

Hiccup could feel it too, he could see. They were grinning at each other, matching each other strike for strike.

It wasn’t enough. Hiro pushed harder, moved faster, gained ground. Hiccup’s eyes widened with surprise. Hiro had him backed up against the wall, his sword pinned to the side by Hiro’s.

A giddy, buzzing feeling was surging through Hiro’s limbs. He watched Hiccup’s chest as it rose and fell. “Do you yield?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Hiccup softly, his expression suddenly serious. He let his sword fall and placed his hand instead over Hiro’s chest, over his jumping pulse. “I yield.”

Hiro glanced down at Hiccup’s hand and by the time he looked back up, Hiccup’s mouth was landing on his. It was swift, barely a brush of lips, and then Hiccup pulled back, to look at Hiro with those pretty green eyes.

Hiro stared back. He’d never been kissed before. His whole body tingled. There was silence except for the sound of their breaths and Hiro’s sword clattering to the ground.

Then he had his hands on Hiccup’s shoulders and was leaning forwards to kiss him back. His own lips felt clumsy, unpractised, but Hiccup’s were perfect and warm, like coming inside from the rain.

Abruptly, Hiccup pulled away. Hiro watched a series of emotions chase each other across Hiccup’s face like some kind of confused kaleidoscope.

“I…I have to go,” whispered Hiccup, and before Hiro knew what was happening, Hiccup had slipped past him and was running out of the arena. He looked back over his shoulder for a fleeting second, and then he was gone.

Hiro leaned against the wall to stop his legs from giving out beneath him and stared at the spot where Hiccup had disappeared while he waited for his lungs to remember how to breathe.


	22. Chief/Pretender

Hiccup stepped out into the lush green of the village, staring around wildly as if scared someone might had seen what had just happened. He was pretty sure a tribe of obstinate, honour-obsessed Vikings would be less than happy to find out that their Chief was kissing boys now. He shouldn’t have done that here. Everything about Hiro was so shiny and bright and spectacular that for a minute, he’d forgotten that they weren’t in San Fransokyo. For a minute, he’d forgotten everything.

_I kissed Hiro._

He slowed to a walk, albeit a brisk one, and tried to appear calm, not like someone whose heart was about to explode.

_Hiro kissed me back._

A smile spilled itself across his cheeks, despite everything. Hiro had kissed him back. He must look a little deranged. He wasn’t really looking where he was going but he thought there was a distinct possibility he was just walking around in circles.

_What am I doing?_

He was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to run away from someone after you’d just kissed them. But then again, he was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to punch someone right before you kissed them and that had never stopped Astrid. So. Perspective.

Thinking of Astrid made his chest tighten. It had been less than two weeks since they’d broken up. Shouldn’t he have waited longer? He was doing everything wrong.

“Hiccup?” a disapproving voice jolted Hiccup out of his thoughts, and for a second, fear clutched at his chest. _Did somebody see us?_   He looked up. It was an Elder, frowning at him.

Hiccup swallowed. “Um. Hi.”

“You were supposed to be in the meeting hall five minutes ago, Hiccup. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Oh,” Hiccup sighed with mingled relief and resignation. “Yeah, that.”  He let the older man lead him to the meeting, dimly aware that he was still being berated but not really listening. _I kissed Hiro._

The other Elders were indeed already congregated, including Hiccup’s grandfather. At the end of the table, Valka and Astrid were waiting for him too. He didn’t allow either of them to catch his eye as he sat down; they would know something was up.

The Elder who had dragged him into the meeting leaned forward with a tired sigh. “Now that our Chief had deigned to join us, we can begin. Hiccup, we’ve become increasingly concerned by your recent behaviour, and _most of u_ s” – at this he looked around at the others pointedly – “are in agreement that an intervention is necessary.”

Hiccup’s grandfather coughed and Valka huffed indignantly. Apparently they _had not_ been in agreement on this matter.

Hiccup’s heart stuttered. “What – what are you talking about?”

“You are stalling, Hiccup. It is four days until the anniversary of your father’s death. We have given you your year, Hiccup. It is time for you to visit the other tribes. That was the deal, was it not?”

“Yes,” muttered Hiccup.

“And yet you have made no preparations for your travels, have you?”

“Well, no,” admitted Hiccup

“Is it true you threatened to quit your position?”

He noticed that Astrid was carefully avoiding his gaze.

“I…”

“Well?”

“Well what if I did?” asked Hiccup angrily. “I never asked for any of this.”

The Elder chose to ignore this. “In light of your – ah – lapse, we have seen fit to make arrangements for you. A representative of the Berserker Tribe will be here to collect you in three weeks-”

“You can’t-”

“Actually, Hiccup, we _can_ ,” the Elder said coldly. “In the meantime you will make preparations-”

“What else is there to prep-”

“We’ll have daily meetings to make sure your progress is on schedule-”

“You’re just trying to keep me on the island-”

“Astrid will accompany you.”

“Um, actually-”

“Yes, we’re aware of your little – ah – disagreement,” the Elder said delicately, “But we’re confident you can find a reason to move past it. Astrid’s and admirable young lady, Hiccup, you would be a fool to let her go. Besides, somebody needs to keep you on the right path, as you seem incapable of doing it for yourself. Chiefs do not travel alone. You need a partner.”

 _I need Hiro_ , Hiccup thought miserably. He glanced at Astrid. The pair hadn’t spoken since the fight, but Hiccup knew that Astrid would be willing to reconcile if she thought that was what was best for the ruling of the tribe. He thought about it – things going back to the way they had been. Astrid didn’t make the air electric like Hiro did, but he did love her, even if it wasn’t in the same way anymore. Perhaps he could live with it.

“If you adhere to our conditions, we will let your behaviour these last few weeks slide, and you may tell the neighbour tribes that we will not participate in the war against dragons, if that’s really what you want,” the Elder continued. “If you do not go, we will send another member of the tribe to attend these conventions instead. Since you are the only one who seems to hold your opinion on how we should proceed…”

Hiccup’s grandfather coughed rather loudly this time and Valka and Astrid shot him identical glares.

“The only one who stands a chance of being taken seriously,” the elder amended. Women were supposedly not to be trusted to handle such decisions and Hiccup’s grandfather had a reputation for being…eccentric. “Well, let’s just say, anyone else we sent would probably put us into the alliance.” He paused for a moment to let this sink in. “So, can we now be in agreement on this?”

Hiccup closed his eyes. The Elders had played the winning hand and they knew it. “Yes,” he said stiffly. He stood and walked dejectedly out of the hall.

***

Hiro was waiting for Hiccup in the clearing in the woods, leaning against the base of a tree-trunk. Hiccup’s heart twisted at the sight of him.

“Hey,” Hiro looked up at him, eyes bright. He looked nervous, hopeful. Hiccup couldn’t speak. He’d spent the last few weeks watching that light grow in Hiro’s eyes and he hated to be the one to dowse it. He sat down next to him, heavily.

Tentatively, Hiro took his hand. Hiccup traced figures of eight with his thumb, a habit. “Hiccup, what is it?”

“We can’t – _this”_ – Hiccup gestured between them - “I can’t.”

Hiro’s face fell. “But then why did you-”

“I’m sorry,” said Hiccup.

Hiro snatched his hand away from Hiccup’s as if stung. “I thought-”

“I’m so sorry, Hiro.” His voice sounded flat, hollow.

Hiro was quiet for a time. Then, he said in a small, desperate voice, “I don’t understand.”

Numbly, Hiccup explained what the Elders wanted in exchange for him keeping the tribe out of the war. “We’re leaving in three weeks,” he concluded. He watched Hiro take this in.

“They’re…blackmailing you into staying with Astrid?” Hiro asked.

“It was one of their terms, yeah.”

“But…” Hiro grappled for a solution, “But you’re a Chief! You tell _them_ what to do.”

Hiccup laughed even though nothing was funny. “You would’ve thought so, wouldn’t you.”

“So, did you two make up?”

“Not yet.”

“Are you going to?”

“Eventually, I guess.”

A pause. “How long will you be gone?”

“I don’t know…fourteen tribes…two months? Maybe three?”

Hiro fell silent again. His hands were clenched at his sides. After a moment he got to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Hiccup asked.

Hiro looked at him. “Home. It’s probably best that you don’t come back with me anymore.”

“I – what? No,” Hiccup stuttered, frantic. “Hiro, wait. Please.”

“Hiccup…”  Hiro sighed. “I don’t think I can-”

“Look. Can we just – I don’t know, pretend? For three weeks? I’m not expecting you to keep this place saved in your portal forever, but just three weeks, until I leave? Can we just carry on the way we have been?”

He knew he was being beyond selfish, but he was barely holding it together as it was and he knew if he let Hiro walk away from him now he was just going to fall apart. He would run away. He would take Toothless and fly them into oblivion.

He knew he was being selfish but he couldn’t give Hiro up. Because Hiro was the only person he’d ever met who looked at Hiccup, and just saw _Hiccup._ Not his father. Not everything he could or should be. Just him, and that was enough.

And because Hiro had the whole of human history literally at his fingertips, and kept coming back to _him._

Hiccup needed that boy. He needed his sarcastic comments and dramatic eye-rolls. He needed his dipping gazes and blushing cheeks. He needed his sleepy smiles and tousled hair.

“Hiro,” he pleaded, “You’re the only person I can be around and feel normal.”

Hiro’s face crumpled. He said quietly, “Yeah, Hiccup, we can pretend.”

They went back to San Fransokyo and slept on opposite edges of the bed.


	23. Unspoken Rules

Hiro sighed so hard it was almost a growl and raked his hands through his hair for the hundredth time.

“Relax, Hiro,” said Wasabi, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll keep the dragons safe either way, and if it means we have to start a new project, yeah that sucks, but it will be worth it. Besides, we already agreed that it wasn’t what we were gonna use as our showcase project anyway, right?.” The others all offered words of agreement, but Hiro wasn’t really listening.

He was appreciative of his team’s support and their willingness to sacrifice three years of ground-breaking work for this cause, but for Hiro this wasn’t about whether Hiccup got to keep his dragons: it was about whether Hiro got to keep Hiccup, too.

 _He was never yours in the first place,_ said an unpleasant voice in Hiro’s head.

Over the last couple of days, the boys had developed some kind of unspoken rules: Hiro knew Hiccup liked to rest his thumb over Hiro’s wrist and feel his quickening pulse, and to trace figures of eight all over his arms; he knew that they could nudge at each other’s feet beneath the desk as they did research, that they could let fingers, even noses, accidentally-on-purpose brush beneath the covers at night, but that hand-holding or cheek-stroking would be crossing some kind of line.

It wasn’t enough. The hollowness of wanting followed him around like a constant ache. It was some kind of cosmic cruelty, he thought, to find out the thing he wanted so badly was within his reach, and have it snatched away from him.

He’d wanted to be angry with Hiccup. For what? For selfish reasons: for choosing his tribe over him. For choosing _Astrid_ over him. God, he’d been stupid. It was ridiculous to think that Hiccup would abandon his duty for a boy he’d known for a matter of weeks. Hiro knew that. But still, he’d wanted to be angry.

No, he hadn’t _wanted_ to be angry – he _was_ angry. He just wanted to feel his anger was justified. He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream at Hiccup for making him feel this way about him. He wanted to yell at him for making him feel better – _happy,_ even – because now that he remembered what if felt like not to have grief gnawing at the back of his brain every second of the day, it was going to feel so much worse when Hiccup was gone. He wanted to shout at him for making him feel anything at all, because now that he’d been awakened from his quiet numbness, everything felt so much sharper. And most of it was painful.

Almost, Hiro had shut him out. He’d thought: _I’ll leave him here. I’ll erase the co-ordinates from the portal._ He’d thought: _I’ll go and save Tadashi - who cares if it rips a hole in the fabric of time. Everything is falling apart anyway._

And then Hiccup had looked up at him with those stupid, pretty eyes and asked if they could just pretend.

He’d thought: _I can’t. It hurts too much. You’re asking too much._

But then Hiccup had said those words, ’ _You’re the only person I can be with and feel normal’_ and Hiro could feel them, physically feel them digging into his chest. He knew something about that.

He’d thought: _He looks just as lost as me._ And so he’d said yes.

He was glad for that now, now that he’d calmed down. It was torture having to act as if he was content with friendship when his heart felt like bursting whenever Hiccup was around, but the only thing worse would be not having him around at all.

***

Gogo put up with exactly two days of watching Hiro and Hiccup pathetically sending longing glances at each other from across the lab room before she decided an intervention was necessary. The moment the boys turned up to meet the others that morning, she looped one arm through Honey’s and one through Hiccup’s and announced that they needed a shopping break.

“Alright,” said Gogo as she perused the cosmetics isle. “Update. Now.”

“On what?” asked Hiccup.

“On the ‘You-and-Hiro’ situation,” said Gogo, as if this should be the most obvious thing in the world.

“It’s not a _situation,_ ” Hiccup protested.

“On the ‘We’re-pretending-not-to-like-each-other-but-we-stare-at-each-other-literally-twenty-four-seven-what’s-up-with-that?’ situation,” said Honey.

Gogo pointed at her. “Yeah, that.”

“It’s not a _situation!_ ”

“Well what is it then?”

Hiccup sighed. He was beginning to learn that once Gogo had decided to get something out of you, there was no point resisting. “Well. I may have kissed him.”

“And?” asked Gogo. She held out a hand towards Honey for money without taking her eyes off Hiccup.

“He may have kissed me back.”

“And?” asked Honey, eyes very round.

“And what?”

“What did he say?”

“Um, nothing. I – kinda ran away before he got the chance.”

“Well haven’t you spoken to him since?” demanded Honey.

“Well, yeah-”

“Let me guess, you just pretended it didn’t happen?” said Gogo, fixing Hiccup with a supremely disdainful expression.

_“No.”_

“Ah, you talked about it! Good, there may be hope for you yet. Well?”

“Well wha-”

 _“What did you say?!”_ Both girls practically screamed at him in unison.

“Oh. Well I sort of said I was – um – sorry.”

 _“Sorry?”_ Gogo repeated incredulously. (Hiccup had been wrong – apparently higher levels of disdain _did_ exist.)

“Um, yes?”

“You said you were _sorry?”_

“Yes,” repeated Hiccup weakly.

 _“Boys,”_ muttered Gogo, shaking her head in despair.

“Utterly hopeless,” said Honey tragically.

Hiccup watched the girls walk on ahead of him. Part of him wanted to explain the situation (fine, it _was_ a situation, okay?) to them properly, but the rest of him felt that this treatment was pretty much what he deserved.


	24. Hiccup Brings Back Emo

Hiccup pushed the sheets of paper off Hiro’s desk. “You’re working too hard,” he said. The debate was in three days’ time and despite Hiro’s friends’ assurances that they had a strong case and had done everything they could, Hiro kept going over their notes like he was revising for an important exam. He was stressing over them as if it were an exam too.

“I’m fine,” Hiro said, scooping the paper off the floor and putting it back.

“No you’re not,” Hiccup told him, pushing them onto the floor again and sitting cross-legged on the desk so that Hiro couldn’t put them back. “Your brain is tired. You need to do something relaxing.”

Hiro sighed and looked up at him. “What do you suggest?”

Hiccup lined up four small bottles on the little bit of desk space that was left. “Gogo took me shopping this morning,” he said.

“For nail polish?” Hiro asked.

“Yup,” Hiccup said brightly. “But I hear that painting one’s own nails can be rather tricky, so,” he held out his hand towards Hiro, palm down.

“You want me to paint your nails?” Hiro asked.

“Yup,” Hiccup said again.

Hiro looked at the bottles. The image of Hiccup wearing black nail polish was suddenly very attractive. He picked up the black bottle and unscrewed it, releasing a bitter scent. Hiccup scrunched up his nose. “Ugh,” he exclaimed, shooting the nail polish bottle a betrayed look, “Is it supposed to smell like that?”

“It goes away once it’s dry,” Hiro assured him, regarding Hiccup’s still out-stretched hand. After a moment’s hesitation, he took hold of Hiccup’s fingers and hoped Hiccup wouldn’t notice how much his own hands were trembling. Hiccup’s hands were not soft, exactly, ridged with callouses from steering Toothless’ reigns, but they were something warm and sturdy to hold onto. Hiro silently berated himself for paying so much attention as he meticulously painted the little ovals of Hiccups nails a deep inky black. “This has glitter in it,” he commented as he finished the first hand.

Hiccup scrutinised his finger nails. “I like glitter,” he decided. When Hiro was done, he held his hands up for inspection. “What do you think?”

Hiro had been right: very attractive. He leaned back a little to get the full effect and wondered vaguely why he was torturing himself like this. “I think they need another coat,” he said, as an excuse to hold onto those hands for a few more minutes.

Hiro took some persuasion, but eventually he let Hiccup paint his nails too: purple on his fingers, and black-and-white Baymax faces on his thumbs. He made a mental note to keep his hands in his pockets around Fred and Wasabi because they would never let him live this down if they saw this, but he kept smiling every time he caught sight of his own hands for the rest of the day.

Hiccup’s heart eased a little. It was good to see that he still had it in him to smile.

***

“Alright,” said Hiccup, when he found Hiro back at his desk that evening. “Phase two.”

“Phase two?” Hiro asked.

“Phase two,” repeated Hiccup, and headed down a floor without further explanation.

Hiro sighed and followed him downstairs. He found Hiccup sitting on the sofa, holding Tadashi’s old guitar.

“Cass tells me you used to play?” Hiccup said.

Hiro shrugged. “Tadashi taught me.”

“Will you teach me?”

Hiro sat down and took the instrument from him. “Okay.” It had been a while since he’d played. Since before Tadashi. He plucked his way through the stings until he found familiarity, playing the first song he remembered learning. It wasn’t complicated. He played it through a few times so Hiccup could see what to do, and partly for the sake of reminiscence.

“Here, you try,” He passed the guitar to Hiccup and instructed him from behind, occasionally leaning in to rearrange Hiccup’s hands. He tried to keep as much space between them as he could in such a situation (which admittedly wasn’t really that much) but maybe Hiccup had some kind of electric aura surrounding him because Hiro’s blood was still singing and his hands were still trembling.

“There,” said Hiro, after Hiccup managed to play the song through without any stumbles. “You’re a pro now.”

Hiccup laughed. “Thank you.”

Hiro appraised Hiccup as he plucked absently at the strings: clad in all black, the nail polish, the eyeliner (the _freaking_ eyeliner!) and the hair falling into his eyes.  “You look like some kind of rock star,” he murmured, immediately kicking himself for it because he usually didn’t let himself say things like that out loud, especially given the new rules. But he seriously did, though – he was even doing that looking-up-through-his-lashes thing as he smiled at Hiro.

And there he went with the eyebrow-raise. “Yeah?”

Hiro lowered his eyes to the floor. There was too much feeling in his chest and it was interfering with his lungs. “Yeah,” he breathed back. And then he got up, muttering something about helping Cass on the café, because if he didn’t get out of there he was going to kiss Hiccup, or scream, or maybe both.


	25. The Way Things Would Be

Hiro woke up in the middle of the night and it took him a moment to realise it was because Hiccup was crying. He put his hand on Hiccup’s shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked softly.

Hiccup started at his touch. “I didn’t mean to wake you,” he sniffed.

“Sshhh, it’s okay,” Hiro whispered. He sat up and leaned over to turn on the bedside lamp. “What is it?”

Hiccup dragged a hand over his eyes. He looked unusually young in the dim light. “Can we go to Berk for a while?” he asked.

“Yeah, of course,” said Hiro, and went to power up Baymax. Hiccup picked up the portal and they crept out of the house.

When they arrived on Berk, Hiccup led Hiro to the edge of the island, overlooking the sea. Oddly, Toothless was there, as if he’d been expecting them. He nuzzled his nose into Hiccup’s cheek. “Hey, bud,” Hiccup whispered as he stroked the dragon’s scales.

A large rock jutted out of the ground like a headstone, and the moonlight was bright enough that Hiro could just make out the words _Stoic the Vast_ carved into it. It was just a symbol; Stoic’s body had been burned at sea. Hiccup sank to his knees in front of it and traced the letters with shaking fingers. “It’s been a year today,” he told Hiro.

Hiro didn’t speak; there weren’t any words. He knelt down next to Hiccup and pulled the boy’s head onto his shoulder and let him cry. This, he could give him. Toothless flanked Hiccup’s other side.

“If he was still alive,” Hiccup said after some time, “It would go like this: You would come crashing into the island. Dad would want you tried for witchcraft. I would defend you. We would argue. Eventually he’d come to his senses and figure out I was right and he’d let you stay. The dragon attack would come. He would put up a good fight, the best fight, but still not enough. You would dowse the island and get the dragons to surrender. He would’ve shaken your hand, put you up on his shoulders and tell the whole village what a hero you were, and that he’d never actually doubted you. After that, you’d have his loyalty. Anything you needed, he’d get it done.” Hiccup smiled beneath his tears. “He would’ve liked you.”

Hiro squeezed his shoulder. “I think I would’ve liked him too.” Hiccup dissolved into silent sobs. Hiro wrapped his arms around him so he didn’t shake himself apart.  



	26. Thunder, Rain and Daisy Chains

Debate day. Hiro looked over his notes one more time before putting them into his bag and shouldering it.

“Are you nervous?” Hiccup asked.

“No,” Hiro squared his shoulders and offered him a smile. “I’m fine.”

“Nope,” said Hiccup softly, “No dimple.”

“What?”

“You get a dimple when you _really_ smile,” Hiccup told him, placing his finger on the side of Hiro’s chin. Which felt dangerously close to his lips. “Just here.”

Hiro took the finger that was pressed against his face and linked it with one of his own. Which felt dangerously close to hand-holding. He pressed their wrists together so they could feel each other’s pulses beating in time. “Hiccup,” Hiro said, “I’m going to win.”

“How do you know?” Probably not the most supportive thing he could have said, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted someone to tell him everything would be okay.

“Because,” Hiro said, lifting his chin defiantly, “However much they think they care about their cause, I care more about _mine.”_

Screw it. Hiccup took Hiro’s hand, rules be damned.

***

Gogo immediately clocked their joined hands as they met up with the rest of the group outside the Institute. “Please tell me this means you guys finally got your shit together,” she whispered to Hiccup while Hiro greeted the others. Hiccup shook his head. Gogo sighed with frustration, but Hiccup suspected it was mostly at the prospect of losing her bet with Honey. It had been exactly two weeks since they’d made their wager.

He let himself be led into an intimidatingly large room, where what looked like the entirety of the institute’s staff was congregated to listen to what both sides had to say. Hiccup was seated among them, although he wouldn’t be allowed to vote. Reluctantly, he relinquished Hiro’s hand and watched him walk over to the staging area at the front of the room.

The professor made his case first. His proposals and the slides he projected to illustrate them made Hiccup’s stomach turn, so he tried to tune his voice out. He focused instead on Hiro, the stubborn set of his shoulders, the determined line of his jaw…Gods, Hiro was cute. Like really, ridiculously cute. He really proved to be an effective distraction. Soon enough it was Hiro’s turn to present his side of the argument.

He stepped up to the podium and looked out at all the expectant faces that were turned to him. Chin up, hands steady. He looked ready to command an audience, and Hiccup felt overwhelmingly proud of him in that moment. Overwhelmingly grateful too; Hiro was doing this for him. Hiro, stubborn and defiant and always looking for another way around things. Once upon a time, Hiccup had been like that too, but it had got lost somewhere along the way…And somewhere in the space between Hiro opening his mouth to speak and finishing his speech, Hiccup thought perhaps he had found it again. Hiccup would find another way. He would _make_ another way.

He smiled a small, private smile.

At length, the head of the institute stood and nodded to both sides of the stage. “Thank you for your presentations. It is time for us to vote.” Hiccup clenched the sides of his chair. “All those in favour of Professor Hyde’s proposal?”

Hiccup looked around with bated breath. A scattering of hands were raised here and there.

“And all those opposed?” Overwhelming majority.

Hiccup broke into a grin. Across the room, Hiro’s friends were cheering and pulling each other into hugs and patting each other on the back, but Hiro was just looking at him. Within an instant, Hiccup was up and out of his seat and across the room, flinging his arms around Hiro. “Don’t ever let me complain about your stubbornness ever again,” he said.

Hiro grinned as he hugged Hiccup back, “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Hey, um,” Hiccup pulled back to look at Hiro. “Can we go to Berk for a little while? There’s something I have to do.”

***

Hiro decided to wait for Hiccup at his house. Valka was there, and her eyes lit up warmly when she saw him. They were the same green eyes that Hiccup had.

“Did you win?” she asked. She gestured for him to sit.

“Yeah, we won,” said Hiro as he sank into his seat.

“That’s wonderful!” she smiled. “Where is Hiccup?”

Hiro shrugged. “He said he had to take care of something.”

“You and Hiccup,” she said, “You are very close.” It was an observation, not a question. She regarded him intently.

Hiro sat mute. Valka could be eerily perceptive sometimes and he wasn’t sure how much she already suspected. He wasn’t sure how much Hiccup had already told her, for that matter. He didn’t want to say anything incriminating.

“I think he cares for you a great deal,” Valka continued.

“I care for him too,” said Hiro, without thinking.

“I can see that,” said Valka, and Hiro tightened his grip on his armrests. _She knows_ , he thought, _she knows._ “The Elders – they think Hiccup needs to be with someone who will ‘keep him on the right path,’ so to speak. Someone who will remind him of his duties.”

Hiro swallowed. Was this her way of telling him to stay away?

“ _I_ think,” continued Valka, “Hiccup should be with someone who makes him happy. And I have never seen him as happy as he has been this last month that he’s spent with you. Understand?”

“I’m…not sure,” said Hiro. Perhaps he was just hearing what he wanted to hear because it sounded a lot like she was telling him to go and be gay with her son.

“Hiro, this is a small island we live on. It breeds small-minded people.” She appeared to be picking her words carefully. “It’s not like that for you, I can see that. There are big, bright futures just bursting out of you. My son, he isn’t small-minded. And neither am I. Understand?”

“Um…yes?”

“Hiccup can overthink things,” said Valka, “Sometimes…he needs nudging.”

Hiro stood up. “I have to go and talk to him.”

Valka smiled. “Good.”

Hiro ran outside and towards the arena, suddenly certain that that was where Hiccup would be. He would beg. He would get down on his knees and beg Hiccup to choose him if he had to. He would persuade Hiccup to stand up to the Elders. He would shout him into defiance. As he neared the entrance of the arena he caught a flash of Hiccup’s copper hair. He steeled himself. He could do this. He ran inside. But-

Hiro stopped short. Hiccup wasn’t alone. He with Astrid. She was smiling and kissing him on the cheek. Hiro felt like the ground might slide out from under his feet. He was too late.

So. That was it then. Hiccup had chosen Astrid. He had chosen his tribe. He had chosen responsibility. He had made the right choice, the logical one. It shouldn’t be surprising.

But he hadn’t chosen Hiro. And everything felt wrong.

Hiro turned and ran back the way he had come. He wanted to hurt something and he was pretty sure his anger was directed at himself. He hated himself for getting his hopes up when he’d known they were doomed. He hated himself for letting that boy worm his way into his heart, for making him _feel things_ , because it just hurt. It hurt and he wanted it to stop. He hated himself for becoming such a mess, his feet splashing through the damp earth now as he staggered through the woods, trying to breathe around the tightness in his throat.

He came to a halt at the edge of Toothless’ clearing, gasping for air, feeling lost. From the centre of the circle, Toothless turned to look at him, then bounded over to him in two leaping strides. He nudged Hiro’s cheek, his eyes baleful and imploring, as if he was asking Hiro what was wrong.

Hiro heard a choked sobbing sound and realised it had come from himself. He didn’t remember sitting down, but the next thing he knew, he was crumpled on the ground, letting Toothless curl his soft-scaled body around him and hold one wing over his head to shelter him from the rain that was starting to fall. And everything he’d been trying to suppress in their hopeless game of pretend came spilling down his cheeks. He hadn’t cried like this since Tadashi.

Toothless waited for the sobs to subside, and uncurled himself, nudging Hiro further into the treeline where the rain wouldn’t reach him. He licked away Hiro’s tears (which didn’t exactly leave his cheeks any drier, but the gesture was appreciated nonetheless) then set about picking daisies out of the ground with his teeth and dropping them at Hiro’s feet. Hiro almost smiled. “Thanks, Toothless,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. He picked up two daises and linked them together.

***

Hiccup had to talk to Astrid. He headed for the arena, the most likely place for her to be. They were similar in that way.

He’d been right – she was there, twirling around with her sword, her golden braid swishing out behind her. When she caught sight of him, Astrid placed her weapon down and joined him by the doorway. “Hi.”

“Hi,” said Hiccup, feeling unspeakably awkward. They still hadn’t really spoken since the last time they were here.

She bit her lip. “Are we still mad at each other?”

“I’m not mad at you, Astrid. I’m just…” Hiccup didn’t know what he was feeling. He was feeling a _lot_.

“I’m not mad at you either,” said Astrid.

“Don’t say that yet,” said Hiccup, dropping his gaze.

“What is it?”

How did he begin? Hiccup got up and paced a couple of circles around the arena, eventually wheeling around to face her. “It’s Hiro.”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s fine,” Hiccup said, “He’s good, he’s…” _Stop talking, Hiccup_. He resumed his pacing.

Astrid said, “You like him.”

Hiccup stopped dead. “I…how…?” He turned to stare at her in amazement.

“You do, don’t you,” Astrid sighed. It wasn’t really a question. “I thought…Hiccup, have I told you that whenever you talk about dragons, your face just lights up as if there’s nothing in the world that makes you happier?” He shook his head, surprised by the turn the conversation had taken. He had no trouble believing what she was saying though. “When Hiro showed up, you talked about him constantly. You get the same look on your face when you do.” Hiccup swallowed. He had no trouble believing that either.

“At first I thought you were just excited about the whole time-travel thing,” Astrid said. “But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

He closed his eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry. I…I don’t feel the same way about you anymore.”

“Hiccup?” said Astrid.

He opened his eyes to see Astrid coming to stand in front of him. There were tears in her eyes. Hiccup tried to remember the last time he had seen Astrid cry; he couldn’t. “Yeah?”

“I’m pretty sure Hiro looks at you the same way.” She was telling him to go to Hiro. She was telling him she’d learn to be okay with it. Hiccup didn’t know what to say. He stared at the ground.

“Hey,” Astrid whispered. He looked up. She punched Hiccup lightly on the shoulder. “That,” she said, “was for breaking up with me. She smiled and planted a final soft kiss on Hiccup’s cheek. “And that,” she finished, “was for everything else.”

***

Hiro was sitting with his back against a tree-trunk when Hiccup’s footsteps joined him in the woods, a daisy chain in his lap. The Viking sat down next to him and bowed his rain-damp head so Hiro could crown him with it. “How do I look?” he asked wryly.

 _Screw it_ , Hiro thought. “Amazing, like always.”

Hiccup raised his eyebrows, surprised.

“Yeah,” said Hiro, “And while we’re at it, I like how your hair curls when you get out of the shower. And I like how you’re so gentle with Toothless even though he could literally slash you to ribbons. And I like how you swordfight like it’s a game you’re always winning. And I like how you kiss your mother good morning every day. I like how you put up with my stupid friends. I like how you know when to shut up and just listen – nobody’s done that for me for a long time,” – his breath hitched. Water was pouring down his face and he didn’t think it was all rain. “I just really fucking like _you_ , Hiccup, and I can’t do this whole pretending thing anymore. I’m sorry…” He turned to leave. Like, _really leave_ , this time.

“I’m not.” Hiccup’s voice rang out determined over the sound of the rain.

Hiro stopped. Turned back around. “What?”

“I’m not sorry,” Hiccup said. “I’m not sorry for any of this. I wouldn’t take a second of it back. Do you know how grateful I am that you fell into my world?” He laughed. “You literally fucked up the sky. Hiro Hamada, _you_ are the brightest star. And it’s been amazing. And I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry I kissed you. I’m not sorry I broke up with Astrid over this. I’m not even sorry Toothless shot you down that day because if you had only been in my life for three hours, I never would have got to know you. And I never would have got to do this.” He took another step forward, which left exactly no space between them.

When lightning struck, the sky shone with the light of hundred blue-white suns. Thunder rolled hot on lightning’s heels, so staggeringly loud it was as if the earth itself had been cracked into two.

Hiro barely noticed.

Everything was Hiccup: Hiccup’s lips, sweet and soft and sure against his; Hiccup’s hair beneath his fingers, silkier than his imagination; Hiccup’s hands, warm and insistent, pressing against his back. It felt like coming home.

***

Hiro couldn’t quite believe that this was happening.

_At some point, he’d started channelling Baymax, with all the appearances of being perfectly polite and amiable but essentially unfeeling. Like somebody had removed his emotional chip. It’s better this way, he told himself, because it meant he wouldn’t miss Tadashi so badly. He’d be less likely to do something stupid._

And this was it – the stupid thing. He’d let Hiccup put back his emotional chip. They didn’t know if they were going to be allowed this. Maybe, after everything, Hiccup would still have to leave him behind and it was going to hurt ten times worse if he let himself do this now.

Hiro knew this, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop, couldn’t bring himself to care. He heard Hiccup’s voice again in his mind, _I’m not sorry_.

Here they were in the forest, dragging each other back through the trees, staggering and stopping to kiss, once tripping over each other, falling to the carpet of damp, earthy leaves and just lying there, pressed against each other for a glorious string of seconds before pulling each other back up. Hiro didn’t know what had come over him, what controlled calm had possessed him to pin the Viking up against a tree and kiss him like he had. Whatever it was, he liked it. _I’m not sorry_.

Here they were in Hiccup’s room, ripping off wet shirts and running hands over rain-slicked torsos. Hiccup let Hiro trace the paths of raindrops down the planes of his stomach, surprisingly soft. Their skin was rain-cool to the touch, but their blood ran hot, almost feverish, turning the air around them to steam, and Hiro thought every part of him that was touching Hiccup must be glowing with some ferocious joy.

Here they were on the bed, Hiro shaking, and letting Hiccup kiss the rain off his skin. Hiccup with his chipped nail polish, and smudged eyeliner, and ridiculously messy hair…the most beautiful thing that Hiro had ever seen.

Here they were, lips too swollen to kiss anymore, lying interlocked, Hiro’s hands in Hiccup’s hair. He heard his name whispered like a prayer. There were daisies everywhere.


	27. Infinities

Hiro woke the next morning to figures of eight being drawn across his shoulder, light enough to raise goose bumps. “Morning, Viking.” He wondered which Hiccup he would get this morning – the Chief or the Pretender.

“Ah, he wakes,” said Hiccup, lying behind him. “What did you dream about?” Pretender it was then.

“Guess.”

“Running away from cannibals,” said Hiccup.

“Nope.”

“A zombie apocalypse.”

“How do you know what a zombie is?”

“Was that right?”

“No.”

“Don’t change the subject, then,” Hiccup scolded. “Um…giant spiders.”

“Why are you assuming it was a nightmare?”

“Because your heart is beating really fast.” Hiccup had a hand pressed against Hiro’s chest. “I can feel it.”

Hiro was glad he was still facing away from Hiccup when he said, “That’s because you’re in a position where you can feel my heartbeat.” This was happening. _This was happening_.

Hiccup didn’t say anything, but Hiro could practically feel the Viking smirking behind him. Eventually, he said, “You never told me if I was right about the spiders.”

“No.”

“No spiders. Okay. Um…”

“You only get three guesses.” Hiro told him.

“That’s not fair, you’re pulse mislead the direction of my guessing,” Hiccup complained.

“You can try again tomorrow.” Hiro took Hiccups hands and turned it over so he could kiss Hiccup’s knuckles. _This was happening_. He could have this. For a little while at least.

“I thought you said you never remembered your dreams, anyway,” Hiccup recalled.

“Apparently I lied.”

“But why didn’t you want to tell me last time either?” Hiro didn’t answer. “Am I allowed to guess what you were dreaming about then?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s the same thing.”

“But you just promised me three guesses tomorrow morning when for all you know you could dream about the same thing tonight.”

Hiro didn’t have a counter-point. “Fine. Three guesses.”

“Dragons?”

“I’m not you,” said Hiro.

“Pegasus?”

“No.”

“Is it some kind of winged creature?”

“Unless you have a retractable pair of wings you’ve been hiding from me, no,” Hiro said, then, after Hiccup had been silent for a long time, he prompted, “You still have one more guess.”

“You kinda just told me.”

“I-oh. Shit. Shut up.”

“So, what was I doing in this dream?” Hiccup drawled, sounding rather smug.

“You were shutting up. It was wonderful,” Hiro said.

“ _Did_ I have wings? Were they angel wings? You know, because I’m so lovely and angelic?”

“I regret this conversation.”

“You don’t deny my angelic-ness.”

“I think I like you better when you’re asleep.”

“Well according to your dreams, you like me better when _you’re_ asleep”

“You don’t know what was happening in the dream, I could have been strangling you for all you know.”

“Well then you would be cast into hell for killing such an angelic being.”

“Oh, well that would explain why I’m having to suffer through this conversation,” grumbled Hiro.

“Hang on,” said Hiccup, “Wait – the first time I asked you what you dreamt about, you’d only known me for, like, three days.”

“Well, yeah,” Hiro admitted, blushing, “but it only took about three seconds to decide you were hot.”

“Hah!” cried Hiccup triumphant. “You admit it!” Hiro was about to reply, but Hiccup started kissing his neck, and words stopped being important. He shivered, which made Hiccup laugh, his breath warm on Hiro’s jaw.

Hiro rolled over to face him, an action that put his body half on top of Hiccup’s. Hiccup took hold of his waist and rolled onto his back, pulling Hiro the rest of the way onto him. Hiro rested his arms on the pillow, either side of Hiccup’s head, and leaned down to kiss him, just lightly. Hiccup tried to follow Hiro’s lips up as Hiro pulled back, but his neck couldn’t reach far enough.

“Patience,” Hiro chided. Hiccup pouted, but let his head fall back onto the pillow. Hiro leaned down again, with short, soft kisses that Hiccup’s lips caught at eagerly and Hiro always pulled away from too soon. He had to keep pulling away to wait until his smile subsided sufficiently to be able to kiss again. He could have this. _He could have this._

He felt jittery with happiness. His arms were shaking so much they were having trouble holding him up. Hiccup started tracing pleasantly cool fingers up and down his sides. Hiro made an involuntary noise in the back of his throat. He only caught a glimpse of Hiccup’s pleased expression before he felt himself collapse onto Hiccup’s chest and let Hiccup kiss him properly. Hiccup hooked his hands round Hiro’s neck, to keep him there now that he had him where he wanted him.

“Don’t stop,” Hiro complained against his lips.

“Then stay here,” Hiccup told him, tugging Hiro’s face a little closer to his own for good measure.

“Deal,” Hiro didn’t have enough breath left for more than a whisper. Hiccup relinquished Hiro’s neck and resumed his tracing. Hiro pushed a hand into Hiccup’s hair to cradle the back of his head, kissing him like his wanted to fuse their lips together.

***

They talked properly later, with Hiro’s head resting on Hiccup’s chest, his lips still tingling from the contact with Hiccup’s. “So,” Hiro asked half-afraid of the answer, “What happens now? You’re breaking the deal.”

Hiccup had considered this. “I’ll make a new deal. Astrid’s not going to pretend she’s still with me now that she knows about you; the Elders can’t physically force her to go. I’ll still go on the trip, but I get to keep seeing you before and after I go. And who I choose to be with is none of their concern. They won’t like it, but you were right: I’m the Chief. They can deal with it.”

“What if they don’t?”

Hiccup’s eyes glinted with playful light. “I’ll run away.”

Hiro didn’t smile. “Hiccup. Seriously.”

“Hey,” Hiccup stroked his cheek, “I’ll think of something. But I’m not giving this up. It’s non-negotiable.”

“You might have to.”

“No,” said Hiccup sharply. It took Hiro by surprise. “Hiro, being with you, it’s like flying,” Hiccup said. “And you’re right: I’m not lost, I am found.”

Hiro took a steadying breath. He knew what that meant coming from Hiccup.  Joy bubbled up in his chest, so fiercely that he knew if he opened his mouth to utter a genuine reply, it would overflow; he’d fall apart. So he feigned nonchalance, turning his attention to Hiccup’s hands instead, still tracing figures of eights over his arms. “Why do you like drawing eights all over me?”

Hiccup laughed softly. “They’re not eights, _Genius-boy_ ,” he said, taking Hiro’s hand and placing it palm-up in his own. Hiro watched as Hiccup’s feather-light finger drew another figure on his palm. “They’re infinities.”


	28. The Plural of Baymax

Hiro planned to meet his friends at the lab that afternoon so the group could start consolidating their plans for their showcase project. Hiccup went with him, his arm looped around Hiro’s waist. He was barely looking where he was going, just staring at Hiro’s profile, the hair hanging into his shining copper eyes.

“Stop that,” said Hiro, blushing, as they walked to the institute.

“Stop what?”

“Staring at me!” said Hiro.

“Stop being so cute then,” Hiccup said, and Hiro couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the way there.

The moment the boys were through the door, Gogo pounced on them. “When did this happen?” she demanded, gesturing between them. “It’s very important!”

Hiccup smiled. “Yesterday.”

“Hah!” Gogo cried, “Hand it over, Honey!”

Honey sighed and passed Gogo her money. “About time,” she said to Hiccup, smiling.

Hiro frowned, looking between Gogo and Honey. “Um, what-”

“Don’t worry your pretty head over it,” Gogo said, ruffling Hiro’s hair.

Hiro looked at Hiccup “They had a bet on us?”

“I get the feeling it happens a lot,” said Hiccup, amused at Hiro’s outrage. The boy was scowling so Hiccup leaned down and kissed it away. His face struggled against a smile. Hiccup poked the side of his chin and the dimple appeared as Hiro laughed.

Wasabi cleared his throat. “If you guys are done being sickeningly cute…” he said, and Hiro pulled away from Hiccup immediately, blushing.

Hiccup stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “We are not,” Hiccup said.

“I’m gonna talk anyway,” said Wasabi.

“I figured you would.”

“We need your opinion,” Wasabi said. “On the plural of Baymax.” It had been decided that the group’s showcase project was going to be Baymax; if they won the funding they would mass produce him. “Because I say it’s obviously _Baymaxes_ ,” continued Wasabi, “But Fred has this absurd notion that it should be _Baymaxi._ ”

“It should totally be _Baymaxi,_ ” piped up Fred.

Hiccup raised his eyebrow. “ Why _Baymaxi?”_

“The plural of _everything_ should end with I”

“I don’t think that’s how language works…” said Honey gently.

“Why can’t it just be Baymax?” said Hiro. “Like fish, sheep, Baymax.”

Fred scrunched up his face. “That sounds stupid.”

“That literally sounds the least stupid,” Hiro argued.

“Why don’t we have a vote?” Honey interrupted. “All those for _Baymaxes_?”

Wasabi raised a hand.

“Just Baymax?” Honey said, raising her hand along with Gogo and Hiro.

Hiro narrowed his eyes at Hiccup, who was trying not to laugh.

“And _Baymaxi?”_ Honey sighed. 

Fred and Hiccup raised their hands. “See, Hiro?” Fred said, “Hiccup agrees with me!”

“Hiccup’s just saying that to screw with me,” said Hiro with a roll of his eyes, then realised his mistake and clapped his hand over Wasabi’s mouth. “Whatever you’re about to say,” Hiro warned him, “Don’t say it.” Wasabi settled for wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Hiro and his team sat around the table and started writing scripts for their presentation. Hiccup, without anything to do, sat next to Hiro, folding sheets of paper into origami dragons and watching Hiro write.

“Stop staring at me,” Hiro whispered.

Hiccup laughed. “I can’t.”

“You’ve been managing fine up until this point.”

“No I haven’t, I was just being more subtle about it before.”

“Well go back to being subtle then.”

“Oh yeah, gods forbid you figure out that I like you,” said Hiccup. Hiro went back to his work, cheeks flushed.

After a dozen dragons, he started flipping through Hiro’s school books instead. “So, what exciting things did you learn today?”

“Nothing much…” Hiro murmured absently. “Wait – are you looking at my notes?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Hiccup, give those-”

“Are these _doodles_ of me?” Hiccup cried, delighted. “You were drawing _doodles_ of me in class?”

“Ugh.”

“Oh my gods. You are so adorable,” Hiccup said. “Ooh, these ones are actually pretty accurate…”

Hiro smiled grudgingly. “I’ve been paying attention.”

Hiccup hid his hands behind his face, feigning embarrassment. “Oh my gods, Hiro, _stop staring at me!”_ Hiro shoved him, and he laughed.

Hiro pushed his work aside, ripped a sheet of paper into a square and looked at Hiccup expectantly. Slowly, Hiccup folded another sheet into a dragon, so Hiro could follow his hands. Hiro held up his creation, grinning.

“Can they fly?” he asked.

“Not very well,” said Hiccup.

Apparently Hiro took this as a challenge, because he hurled his dragon into the air. It soared in a graceful arc over the table and landed on Fred’s hat.

“I stand corrected.”

Hiccup was looking at him again. “Stop it,” Hiro said.

Hiccup grinned. “No.” He kissed Hiro on the nose.


	29. Not Jealous

Hiccup had taken to showing up five minutes before the end of Hiro’s lessons and waiting for him outside of class. On the first day that he did this, he attracted a lot of curious looks from Hiro’s classmates on their way out.

On the second day, the classroom door was open, and if Hiccup craned his neck he could just about see Hiro. The girl sitting next to him – Hiccup recognised her as Bea, from the café – looked up, noticed Hiccup, then smiled and nudged Hiro’s arm. Hiro looked up too, and grinned at Hiccup. He ducked his head back down to continue with his work but his eyes kept lifting back up to see if Hiccup was still looking at him, which of course he was. Hiccup watched Bea whisper something to Hiro, who blushed as he replied, but Hiccup couldn’t make out what they were saying. Hiro blushed deeper still at whatever it was Bea said next. Other members of the class had started to notice Hiccup hovering outside the door, sending him quizzical looks as they had done yesterday.

When Hiro met him outside the classroom, Hiccup murmured, “What did Bea say to you?”

“What? Uh, nothing,” said Hiro hastily.

“Ooh, you’re _flustered,”_ noted Hiccup. “This has gotta be good. Tell me.”

Hiro sighed. “She asked if you were my boyfriend,” he said, not looking Hiccup in the eye.

Hiccup’s stomach flipped. “What did you say?”

“I said I didn’t know.”

“Then what did she say?”

“She asked me if I’d like you to be.”

“And?”

Hiro gave him a side-long glance. “And I said, ‘no, because he’s an idiot.’”

Hiccup stuck his tongue out at him. “Liar.”

On the third day, at least half the girls in the class and a couple of the guys smiled at Hiccup as they passed him on the way out, and one girl actually marched right up to him, grabbed his wrist and proceeded to write an eleven-digit number on his arm, which made absolutely no sense to him. Hiro, now out of the classroom, stared daggers at the girl’s back until she was out of sight.

Hiccup held his arm out to Hiro. “What is this, and why is it on my arm?” he whispered to Hiro.

“It’s her phone number,” said Hiro, still glaring in the direction the girl had gone. “She wants you to call her.”

“What for?” asked Hiccup, confused.

Hiro punched Hiccup lightly on the arm. “Because you’re gorgeous, you idiot.”

The part of Hiccup that wasn’t internally screaming at the word _gorgeous_ managed to ask, “Wait, she wants to, like, date me?”

“Yeah, her and half my freaking class,” muttered Hiro grimly.

Hiccup gaped at him. “Are you _jealous?”_

 _“No,”_ said Hiro, stalking down the corridor.

“You know, if you’d just ask me to be your boyfriend, I could tell her I was taken.”

“I’m not jealous.”

Hiccup laughed quietly, hurrying to catch up with Hiro. On their way out of the main building, Hiccup held the door open for a passing student, who gave him a not-so-subtle once over. “Keep walking, Jesse!” Hiro snapped at the guy.

“Woah, okay,” said Jesse, raising his hands in a pacifying manner, “Dude, chill. Jesus.” But he didn’t hang around. Hiccup turned back to Hiro, eyebrow raised.

“Ugh, fine! Hiccup, you wanna be my boyfriend?” Hiro asked flatly, colour rising in his cheeks.

“Wow, you almost made that sound sincere,” Hiccup grinned.

“Don’t make me ask again, I swear to God,” muttered Hiro.

Hiccup smiled wider. “Yes.”                                                             

“Right, well I’m glad we got this over with,” said Hiro, but he didn’t quite manage to suppress his own smile.

“You’re not fooling me, Genius-boy,” said Hiccup smugly. He poked Hiro in the chin. “Dimple. You’re happy.”

“I suppose I’m not _unhappy_ ,” conceded Hiro.

Hiccup giggled. He actually felt _giddy_. “Does this mean you’ll call me _gorgeous_ every day?”

“Don’t push it, Viking.”

On the fourth day, they told Cass. In a way. Hiccup was standing at the island in the kitchen, chopping cherries for Cass to use in her cookies while she started setting up downstairs.

“Hey,” Hiro’s hands appeared on the island on either side of Hiccup, trapping him in the circle of his arms.

Hiccup swallowed. “Hey.” He put the knife down and turned around, his hips grazing Hiro’s, that’s how close he was standing.

Hiro smiled into Hiccup’s neck. “You’re cute when you’re being domestic.

 _“Cute?”_ Hiccup repeated, indignant. He placed his hands flat against Hiro’s stomach and pushed him backwards until his back hit the wall. “I believe that’s _your_ job.”

Hiro ducked his head, blushing. “Oh sorry, what am I supposed to call you?”

“Hmm – what was that word you used yesterday?” Hiccup raised his eyebrow.

Hiro rolled his eyes. “You’re not about to forget about that any time soon are you?” He pressed his lips to Hiccup’s jaw in an attempt to distract him.

“Nope.” Hiccup pushed his leg between Hiro’s, and heard his breath catch. He watched the lump in Hiro’s throat rise and fall, then kissed the spot beneath it, the juncture between his collar bones. Hiro titled his head up automatically, giving Hiccup better access to his neck; Hiccup resolved to leave no part of it un-kissed.

Hiro laughed, and it sounded like surrender. “Okay. Hiccup,” he murmured. Hiccup pretended not to have heard him. He pulled at the neckline of Hiro’s shirt so he could kiss along his collar bone. “Hiccup,” Hiro said again. Gods, Hiccup loved it when Hiro said his name. He loved the sound of Hiro breathless. He loved that it was his doing. _“Hiccup,”_ Hiro wove his hands into Hiccup’s hair and pulled, just slightly, to get Hiccup to raise his head and look at him. “You’re freaking gorgeous, okay?” Hiro whispered.

It was pathetic really, how those words from Hiro’s lips turned his nerves to fireworks and his blood to champagne. He really wouldn’t have been surprised if he just spontaneously combusted right there. He braced his arms on the wall on either side of Hiro’s head and leaned into him, pushing himself as close to Hiro as he could get (which wasn’t really much closer, to be honest). Time got lost between kisses, and he honestly couldn’t think of anything that would stop him from just staying like this forever.

That was, until Cass’s voice pierced the spell, bringing Hiccup back to his senses. “Hiro, can you watch the café for a – oh!” Her footsteps stopped short in the doorway.

Hiccup sprang away from Hiro and whirled around to face Cass, but it was obviously far too late to pretend he hadn’t just been kissing her nephew senseless up against the kitchen wall. He glanced at Hiro, whose hair was even messier than usual and whose cheeks – already flushed – were growing pinker by the second. Well. This was awkward.

Hiro shoved his hands into his pockets and directed his gaze at Cass’s shoes. “Sorry, what did you say?” He didn’t quite manage to keep his voice even.

Cass was looking between the two of them with wide, surprised eyes. “I was going to ask if you could open up the café…” she said slowly, holding up a set of keys.

“Sure,” said Hiro, crossing the room with his hand held out to take the keys, obviously eager to get the hell out of there, but Cass held the keys out to Hiccup instead.

“Hiccup, would you mind, dear?” she asked, “Hiro will join you in a minute.”

Hiccup looked back to Hiro, who shrugged in a _‘we’d better just do what she says’_ sort of way, so he took the keys from Cass and headed downstairs, leaving Hiro and his aunt in uncomfortable silence.

“So…” said Cass, taking a seat at the island.

“Surprise, I’m gay,” muttered Hiro feebly, sitting down opposite her.

Cass rolled her eyes. “Obviously. But when did _this_ happen?” she asked, jerking her head in the direction Hiccup had just left. “I thought he had a steady girlfriend?”

Hiro shrugged. “What can I say, I’m a homewrecker.” That made Cass laugh a little, for which he was grateful.

“So… this is a thing now?” She asked eventually.

“This is a thing,” repeated Hiro, drumming his fingers against the table.

“I should probably make you start sleeping on the sofa.”

“Excuse me, _you_ were the one who was so eager for me to utilise my double bed, if I’m not mistaken,” pointed out Hiro.

 _“Utilise?”_ Cass repeated, her eyebrows shooting up. Probably not the best word he could have chosen.

“We’re not – it’s not,” Hiro spluttered, “What do you think is gonna happen?” Cass levelled him with a _look._ “Okay, don’t answer that,” he muttered, dropping his gaze. It wasn’t getting any less awkward. “Look,” said Hiro quietly, after a pause. “I don’t get nightmares when Hiccup’s with me. I feel safe when he’s there.”

Cass looked at him for a long moment, her expression softening. She sighed. “Fine. _Fine.”_ She eyed him quizzically. “Am I gonna need to give you the sex talk?”

“Jesus,” Hiro grimaced. “Please no. I don’t think you could _possibly_ be more thorough than Baymax already has been.”

“A better answer would probably have been, _‘no, aunt, that’s really not necessary in the near future,’_ ” said Cass cheerily.

“Oh. Yeah,” Hiro agreed. “Can we pretend I said that?”

“Would it be true?”

Hiro felt his face grow hot. “I should go and help Hiccup with the customers,” he said, hopping down from his seat and making his way hastily to the door. He wasn’t fast enough.

“Jelly bean?”

Hiro sighed, turned around. “Yeah?”

Cass smiled. “He seems like a nice boy.”

“Yeah,” said Hiro, “He is.” And he bolted from the room.

On the fifth day, the row of girls sitting in front of Hiro in class turned around in their seats and asked him if he’d introduce them to his friend. They trailed him out of the classroom, giggling, and Hiro shot them an irritated look.

“It really bothers you?” asked Hiccup in a low voice. Hiro shrugged, which meant _yes_. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.” Hiro fought a smile. “Your class knows you’re gay, right?” Hiccup asked.

Hiro shrugged again. “It’s not a secret.”

“Good,” said Hiccup, and he kissed him right there, in front of all of them.


	30. Survive This

Lessons were becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate in. Hiro only ever wanted to be with Hiccup. It scared him sometimes, how longing tugged at him like a physical force. And Hiccup always seemed to know what he wanted. Sometimes they would lock eyes, and a slow smile would spread over Hiccup’s face and a flush would creep over Hiro’s cheeks and then Hiccup was reaching for him and Hiro was drowning in his lips and…And this was not a good thing to be thinking about in class. Hiro shifted his attention to the whiteboard and tried to absorb meaning from his teacher’s writing.

He glanced up to check the time and caught sight of Hiccup waiting outside. His stomach jolted. Hiccup was wearing the most shredded pair of jeans Hiro had ever seen. Seriously, they were more holes than jeans. Hiro did not hear a single thing for the last five minutes of the lesson.

When the class ended, Hiro packed his things slowly, trying to buy himself time to calm down before joining Hiccup. It didn’t really work; as soon as he stepped out of the classroom and looked at the Viking, he was freaking out all over again.

“Alright, Genius-boy?” Hiccup asked, a smug look on his face.

 _“What the hell are you wearing?”_ demanded Hiro. His voice sounded too high.

Hiccup grinned wider. “The latest fashion, according to Gogo.”

“I can see your thighs,” blurted Hiro, unnecessarily. He hadn’t really meant to fixate on this point, but Jesus, they were just so… _visible._ He couldn’t stop staring.

“Well shit, Hiro,” drawled Hiccup, sounding far too pleased with himself. “If you’d wanted to see them you should have just asked nicely…” Hiccup pushed off from the wall and took a couple of steps towards him; Hiro could see the muscles flex in his legs as he did so. He realised he was staring again, and lifted his gaze to Hiccup’s face. Hiccup raised an eyebrow and Hiro’s heart stuttered.

“Ohmygod,” muttered Hiro, heat rising in his face as he started down the corridor. “You need to be stopped.”

Hiccup laughed and jogged to catch up with Hiro, slinging his arm around the boy’s waist. As they made their way out of the school, Hiro was trusting Hiccup to steer them to the Institute, because his mind was seriously elsewhere. He didn’t notice that Hiccup was leading him round the side of the lab building until he was being pushed up against it. Hiccup kissed him, just long and hard enough to get his heart racing, then pulled away and regarded him with a lopsided grin.

“What was that for?” Hiro asked, breathless.

“Being cute,” said Hiccup. He winked and disappeared around the corner of the building.

 _This boy is going to be the death of me,_ Hiro took a moment to think, before following Hiccup inside. As he joined the others, who were already seated around the table, Hiro shot Gogo a _‘why-have-you-done-this-to-me’_ look, and Gogo grinned back at him evilly.

“So Hiro, it’s really weird, we’re missing a chair somehow,” she told him, looking around the table with a confused expression that Hiro was certain was faked.

“I wonder how that happened,” Hiro muttered, raising an eyebrow at Hiccup. The Viking smiled and patted his lap. Hiro swallowed, conscious of everyone watching him. There was so much bare skin there. He perched sideways across Hiccup’s lap so he could see everyone’s face at the same time.

Hiccup clasped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer. “Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey,” Hiro whispered back. Under the table, he ran his finger in circles over Hiccup’s knee. The group was running through the logistics of replicating Baymax, trying to figure out how many they could afford to make if they got the funding.

“Hiro!” said Honey sharply.

“What?”

“I called your name three times,” Honey told him. “Concentrate.”

“Sorry.” Hiro couldn’t concentrate. Hiccup’s breath tickled his neck as he laughed. The Viking was enjoying this way too much.

Eventually Honey took pity on him. “You know what, I’ll stand. Hiro, come over here,” she said. Hiro slid off Hiccup’s lap and meekly sat down on the stool opposite him, blushing furiously.

He helped the others with their calculations for another half-hour before Gogo saw fit to draw their meeting to a close, because, “If I have to watch these two nerds making eyes at each other for another minute I am going to throw up.” Hiro and Hiccup couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

“Use protection!” Wasabi called after them. Hiro held up a finger to him without turning around.

“For what?” Hiccup called back, frowning, and received only laughter in response. He turned to Hiro. “For what?” he asked again, as they headed back to Hiro’s house.

Hiro shook his head. “Baymax can explain.”

“You don’t know?” Hiccup asked.

“Dude, I just don’t want to have that conversation with you,” Hiro said. “It’s awkward.”

“Aww, but you’re so pretty when you’re flustered,” said Hiccup, poking Hiro’s cheek. Hiro blushed, proving Hiccup’s point.

They had practically jogged back to Hiro’s house, through the café and up to the living room. Hiro pushed Hiccup towards the sofa. “Sit,” he said.

“Will you tell me what-” Hiro ducked down and started kissing Hiccup through the holes in his jeans, and Hiccup forgot what he’d been saying.


	31. Showcase

Showcase night. Hiro had barely seen Hiccup the last couple of weeks. He was busy preparing for his upcoming trip (Hiro was trying not to think about how he was going to cope without him for two months) and Hiro had been revising (well, trying to revise) for his end of year exams. His final one had been this morning and he’d arranged to meet with Hiccup tomorrow morning.

But first, his team had to present the pitch of their project. It was going to be a prestigious event; the Institute had hired out a theatre hall, and Gogo had dragged Hiro out shopping to buy him a suit. She even nagged him into letting her “do something about that hair,” saying that he was going to want to look his best tonight.

Hiro found out what she meant by this as he approached the theatre, where the rest of the group was waiting by the entrance. Hiro stopped short. Hiccup was there. In a suit. Hiro’s knees felt weak and he didn’t think it was because he was nervous about the showcase.

As if sensing Hiro’s gaze on him, Hiccup turned his head and his eyes met his, widening as they took in the sight of him. Hiccup grinned and mouthed, _Wow_ , and Hiro was suddenly glad that he’d let Gogo dress him up. His legs didn’t feel like they would be moving anytime soon, so Hiccup came to him, weaving through the crowd. Hiccup’s hands came to rest on Hiro’s shoulders, steady and comforting. “Hey.”

 _ImissedyouImissedyouImissedyou._ “You’re here,” Hiro breathed. He touched his fingertips to Hiccup’s waist, carefully, as if afraid the Viking would disappear.

Hiccup smiled. “Surprise.” He took Hiro’s hand and gently tugged him towards the theatre. “Are you nervous?” he asked.

“Yeah, but you have that effect on me,” said Hiro, cheeks reddening before he even finished his sentence. They joined the others and headed inside as a group. Hiro’s team would be the penultimate group to present their project; they waited backstage, listening to the other pitches in the dimly lit room.

When their turn came, only Hiro and Baymax headed onto the stage. This was how it had started, just the two of them. This felt like coming full circle. Hiro looked out into the crowd and realised to his surprise that he was scared. He thought _: What if I mess this up? What if I let down Tadashi?_ But then he caught sight of Hiccup in the audience, and he lifted his chin. He thought: _How can I be scared when Hiccup is here?_

He turned to the robot. “Ready, Baymax?  Let’s do this.” He took a breath and thought of Tadashi.

On Baymax’ chest, and on two large screens either side of the stage, a video began to play. “This is Tadashi Hamada, and this is the first test of my robotics project…” it began. It was the video Baymax had shown Hiro those years ago, the one that recorded Tadashi’s testing of Baymax, the work that had gone into making him and Tadashi’s progress. “…You’re gonna help so many people, buddy, so many,” Tadashi’s voice said as the video drew to a close. There was silence.

“This is Baymax.” Hiro said. “A Care Companion. He’s my brother’s invention, although I’ve added further programming to him over the last few years. Three years ago Tadashi was killed in a fire and…Baymax was all I had left of him. I was selfish. I kept him to myself. But that wasn’t what Tadashi wanted. He made Baymax to help people, and that’s what we want to do. If we get the funding, we can reproduce Baymax fifty times over, give him to hospitals, and schools, and families in need. We can continue what Tadashi set out to do…” a tear slid down Hiro’s cheek. He sucked in a breath. “I think I owe him that. Thank you for listening.”

Applause erupted as Hiro and Baymax headed for the wings.

The others were waiting for them backstage. They threw their arms around Hiro, ruffling his hair, and telling him, “Good job, kiddo,” and, “That was perfect!”

And then Hiccup was there. He pulled Hiro to him and planted a kiss on his forehead. “I’m so proud of you.” Hiro smiled and hid his face in Hiccup’s chest. Hiccup lifted Hiro’s chin up so he could press their lips together.

Gogo cleared her throat. “Cass said she’s making us all dinner at The Lucky Cat. So…you two meet us outside when you’ve finished being mushy.” Hiro sent a rude gesture her way while he carried on kissing Hiccup. He’d missed this a lot these past two weeks.

“I’m taking you to prom next week,” Hiro murmured into Hiccup’s jaw as soon as the others were out of ear-shot.

“I thought you weren’t going?”

“I changed my mind. I definitely need an excuse to see you in a suit again.”

Hiccup grinned. “Are you going to get me one of those flower-bracelet things?”

“Yes,” said Hiro, “Giant daisies.”

***

The Institute posted their decision on the notice board the following day; Hiro’s team had won the funding.


	32. To the Ends of the Earth

“Is this really necessary?” Valka snapped at the row of Elders as she took her place at the table. “You already know Hiccup doesn’t have anything left to prepare before the trip.”

“Actually, I was the one who called this meeting,” said Hiccup.

“I could’ve died from shock,” muttered one of the Elders darkly.

“Well then you’re gonna love what I’ve got to talk to you about,” said Hiccup brightly, which wiped the sneer off the Elder’s face. “I’ve come to modify the terms of agreement.”

The Elder sighed. “Hiccup, you are not in the position to be-”

“Oh really?” said Hiccup, his voice a knife’s edge. “Because I was under the impression that I was _Chief_. For too long you’ve been trying to tell me what that means. But now let _me_ tell _you_ what it means. It means I talk, and you listen.”

The Elder fell silent, although Hiccup suspected it was less to do with respect and more to do with being rendered speechless. He held back a smile.

“I will still go on the trip. One month from now. I’ve contacted the Berserker tribe and they’ve called back their representative so I can make the journey in my own time. Toothless will take me-”

“Chief, do you think that’s wise, given that the other tribes are planning a war-”

“That’s _why_ it has to be this way. They need to _see_ that they’re wrong about dragons, see it for their own eyes. I don’t just intend to tell them that we won’t be their allies, I intend to change their minds.”

“Hic – Chief – we’re talking about fourteen angry tribes here-”

“I’ve done it once before,” said Hiccup, “I can do it again. I will do it again.” He paused then, to let his words settle on their heads.

“And I’m taking Hiro,” he added finally.

“The – ah – young boy from the future?”

“Yes.”

The elders exchanged dubious glances. “Hiccup, traditionally, when conferring with other tribes, a Chief is accompanied by his romantic partner...”

“I know,” said Hiccup.

The elder was wearing a pained expression. “Ahem. I think perhaps we – misunderstand.”

“No,” said Hiccup. “You understand perfectly.” He lifted his chin and glared around the table, daring anyone to challenge him. “Are there any other issues?”

Hiccup’s grandfather was the first one to speak up. “No, Chief, I believe that will be all.” There was a twinkle in his eye.

***

Hiro found Hiccup standing at the island’s edge, looking out over the ocean. He slipped his arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Hey.”

Hiccup smiled. “Hey.”

Hiro bit his lip. “Two months is a long time. I’m gonna miss you when you leave,” he said quietly.

“Come with me,” said Hiccup. Hiro stared at him. “I already asked Cass and she says it’s alright if you do. And I ran it past the Elders just now.” His eyes were shining excitedly.

“You asked them?”

“I told them,” corrected Hiccup.

“You’re asking me to follow you through the Barbaric Northern Wastelands?” Hiro asked, his mouth curving into a smile. “You must think you’re pretty important.”

“I think I’ve just spent two weeks barely seeing you and it drove me half-crazy. I don’t want to do that again.”

Hiro was surprised at the genuine reply. He’d just been teasing Hiccup. Truth be told he knew he’d probably follow the Viking to the ends of the earth.

“Also have you seen Theia recently, because skrills grow super fast. She’ll be riding age in a month,” Hiccup added. “Which, incidentally, is when I told the Elders I’ll be leaving.”

“How convenient.”

“I thought so.”

“Okay,” said Hiro.

“ _Okay_ like you’ll come with me?”

“Yeah. Like that,” said Hiro.

Hiccup grinned that crooked grin that always tugged at Hiro’s heart (One of these days, Hiro thought, it would unravel, and he wouldn’t even do anything to try to stop it.) and took Hiro by the hand. “Come on then, Genius-boy” he said as he led Hiro towards the stables, “I’ll show you how to train your dragon.”


End file.
